Shloka 12
बकवधोत्तर-प्रशमनम् | Post-slaying Stabilization after Baka’s Death
हत्वैतान् मानुषान् सर्वानानयस्व ममान्तिकम् | अस्मद्विषयसुप्ते भ्यो नैतेभ्यो भयमस्ति ते,“तुम इन सब मनुष्योंको मारकर मेरे पास ले आओ। ये हमारी हदमें सो रहे हैं, (इसलिये) इनसे तुम्हें तनिक भी खटका नहीं है
hatvaitān mānuṣān sarvān ānayāsva mamāntikam | asmad-viṣaya-suptebhyo naitebhyo bhayam asti te ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Having slain all these men, bring them to me. They are asleep within our own domain; therefore you have no cause to fear them at all.” The line reflects a morally troubling command: the speaker frames the victims’ vulnerability and the safety of the setting as justification for violence, highlighting the abuse of power and the erosion of kṣatriya ethics when killing the unprepared is treated as permissible.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse exposes an unethical rationale for violence: the victims’ helplessness (being asleep) and the perpetrator’s perceived safety (within one’s own territory) are used to remove moral hesitation. In Mahābhārata’s ethical landscape, such framing signals a drift toward adharma—power overriding restraint and fair conduct.
A command is issued to kill a group of men and bring them to the speaker. The speaker reassures the agent that there is no danger because the men are asleep within the speaker’s jurisdiction, emphasizing control of the setting and the victims’ vulnerability.