Shloka 22
देव–विष्णु–संवादः । कालेयगणस्य समुद्राश्रयः । अगस्त्योपसर्पणम्
Devas and Viṣṇu on the Kāleyas; Approach to Agastya
तेषां वध: क्रियतां क्षिप्रमेव तेषु प्रणष्टेषु जगत् प्रणष्टम् । एवं हि सर्वे गतबुद्धिभावा जगद्धिनाशे परमप्रहृष्टा:,वहाँ क्रमश: दीर्घकालतक उपायचिन्तनमें लगे हुए उन असुरोंने यह घोर निश्चय किया कि जो लोग विद्वान् और तपस्वी हों, सबसे पहले उन्हींका विनाश करना चाहिये। सम्पूर्ण लोग तपसे ही टिके हुए हैं। अतः तुम सब लोग तपस्याके विनाशके लिये शीघ्रतापूर्वक कार्य करो। भूमण्डलमें जो कोई भी तपस्वी, धर्मज्ञ एवं उन्हें जानने-माननेवाले लोग हों, उन सबका तुरंत वध कर डालो। उनके नष्ट होनेपर सारा जगत् नष्ट हो जायगा। इस प्रकार बुद्धि और विचारसे हीन वे समस्त दैत्य संसारके विनाशकी बात सोचकर अत्यन्त हर्षका अनुभव करने लगे। उत्ताल तरंगोंसे भरे हुए वरुणके निवासस्थान रत्नाकर समुद्ररूप दुर्गका आश्रय लेकर वे उसमें निर्भय होकर रहने लगे
teṣāṁ vadhaḥ kriyatāṁ kṣipram eva teṣu praṇaṣṭeṣu jagat praṇaṣṭam | evaṁ hi sarve gatabuddhibhāvā jagad-vināśe paramaprahṛṣṭāḥ ||
‘Let their slaughter be carried out at once; when they are destroyed, the world itself will be destroyed. For thus, all those whose minds have fallen into delusion become supremely delighted at the ruin of the world.’ In context, the speaker reports the asuras’ grim resolve: to strike first at the learned and ascetic—those who uphold dharma through tapas—believing that by eliminating such spiritual supports they can collapse the moral and cosmic order, and they rejoice in that destructive aim.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inversion: deluded beings rejoice in universal ruin and therefore target those who sustain dharma through knowledge and tapas. It implies that ascetic discipline and wisdom are not merely personal virtues but pillars of social and cosmic stability; attacking them is portrayed as an attack on the world-order itself.
A speaker reports the asuras’ decision to act swiftly: kill the spiritually powerful and learned first, because they believe the world depends on such tapas. Their joy at the prospect of jagad-vināśa marks their loss of right judgment and sets up the ensuing conflict between destructive forces and dharmic protectors.