Shloka 14
प्रलय-प्रक्रिया (Pralaya Process) — Guṇa-Withdrawal and Pratisaṃcara
यज्ञशील: सदा भूत्वा मामेव यजत स्वयम् । प्रोवाच लोकान् मूढात्मा कालेनोपनिपीडित:
yajñaśīlaḥ sadā bhūtvā mām eva yajata svayam | provāca lokān mūḍhātmā kālenopanipīḍitaḥ ||
Habiendo sido antes siempre devoto del sacrificio, más tarde—aplastado por la presión del Tiempo y con la mente extraviada—se dirigió al pueblo y dio una orden directa: «Adoradme a mí solo».
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a person formerly committed to righteous sacrifice can fall into delusion and ego, demanding exclusive worship for himself. The verse cautions that true dharma requires humility and right orientation of worship; when pride and moha arise—intensified by the pressures of kāla—spiritual practice can be corrupted into self-exaltation.
Śakra (Indra) describes a figure who used to be consistently sacrificial (yajñaśīla), but later, afflicted by Time and deluded, publicly instructed people to worship him alone. The statement functions as a moral example within Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on conduct and the causes of ethical decline.