Shloka 11
दण्डकानां महदू राज्यं ब्राह्मणेन विनाशितम् । तालजंघं महाक्षत्रमौर्वेगेकेन नाशितम्
daṇḍakānāṁ mahad rājyaṁ brāhmaṇena vināśitam | tālajaṅghaṁ mahākṣatram aurvegekena nāśitam ||
Arjuna said: “The great kingdom of the Daṇḍakas was destroyed by a single Brāhmaṇa; and the mighty Kṣatriya line known as the Tālajaṅghas was annihilated by the sage Aurva alone.” The statement is a moral warning: power and lineage do not protect those who incur the wrath born of ascetic force and righteous indignation; adharma can bring ruin even through one spiritually potent person.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual and moral force (brāhma-tejas) can outweigh political or martial power; when rulers or warrior lineages fall into adharma and provoke righteous wrath, even a single ascetic can become the instrument of their downfall.
Arjuna cites two exempla: the Daṇḍakas’ realm being ruined by one Brāhmaṇa, and the Tālajaṅgha Kṣatriya line being destroyed by the sage Aurva alone—illustrations used to emphasize the vulnerability of worldly power before ascetic potency and ethical retribution.