Shloka 57
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
यथा हि पुरुष: शालां पुन: सम्प्रविशेन्नवाम् । एवं जीव: शरीराणि तानि तानि प्रपद्यते
yathā hi puruṣaḥ śālāṃ punaḥ sampraviśennavām | evaṃ jīvaḥ śarīrāṇi tāni tāni prapadyate
Así como un hombre entra una y otra vez en una casa recién construida, del mismo modo el jīva, el ser individual, toma repetidamente esos cuerpos, uno tras otro.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the distinction between the enduring jīva and the changing body, using a simple analogy: as one may enter a house repeatedly, the jīva repeatedly takes up successive bodies. This supports an ethical framework where actions have continuing consequences across embodied lives.
Arjuna speaks in a reflective, philosophical register, employing an analogy to clarify how the living self relates to embodiment. The focus is not on battlefield action but on understanding the cycle of taking bodies, a theme central to Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct.