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 ||
Après avoir été jadis constamment voué au sacrifice, il devint plus tard—écrasé par la pression du Temps et l’esprit égaré—et s’adressa aux peuples en donnant cet ordre sans détour : «Adorez-moi, moi seul.»
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.