Shloka 2
Adhyāya 196: Droṇa’s Conciliatory Counsel and Karṇa’s Suspicion of Counsel (मन्त्र-नय-विवादः)
ततो यमो दीक्षितस्तत्र राजन् नामारयत् कंचिदपि प्रजानाम् | ततः प्रजास्ता बहुला बभूवु: कालातिपातान्मरणप्रहीणा:,राजन! उस यज्ञकी दीक्षा लेनेके कारण यमराजने मानवप्रजाकी मृत्युका काम बंद कर रखा था। इस प्रकार मृत्युका नियत समय बीत जानेसे सारी प्रजा अमर होकर दिनों-दिन बढ़ने लगी। धीरे-धीरे उसकी संख्या बहुत बढ़ गयी
tato yamo dīkṣitas tatra rājan nāmarayat kañcid api prajānām | tataḥ prajāstā bahulā babhūvuḥ kālātipātān maraṇaprahīṇāḥ ||
Entonces, oh Rey, Yama—consagrado para aquel rito—no causó la muerte de ninguno entre los hombres. Al pasar sin efecto el tiempo señalado para morir, el pueblo quedó libre de mortalidad y, día tras día, se multiplicó en gran manera.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that even a temporary suspension of a cosmic function (death), when tied to ritual consecration and dharmic constraints, disrupts balance: without mortality, population swells unchecked. It implies that dharma includes maintaining cosmic order, not merely individual benefit.
Vyāsa tells the king that Yama, while under dīkṣā for a sacrificial context, refrained from taking any lives. As the destined times of death passed unused, people effectively became deathless and their numbers increased greatly.