Shloka 55
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
आततायी हि यो हन्यादाततायिनमागतम् । न तेन भ्रूणहा स स्यान्मन्युस्तं मन्युमारछति
arjuna uvāca | ātatāyī hi yo hanyād ātatāyinam āgatam | na tena bhrūṇahā sa syān manyus taṃ manyum ṛcchati ||
Jika seseorang membunuh seorang ātatāyin—penyerang bersenjata yang datang untuk membunuh—maka ia tidak menanggung dosa bhrūṇa-hatyā (pembunuhan janin). Sebab amarah si penyerang yang condong pada kekerasan itulah yang membangkitkan amarah dalam diri pembela pada saat menangkisnya.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Killing an armed aggressor who comes to murder is treated as a dharmic act of defense, not as a grievous sin like bhrūṇa-hatyā; moral culpability is mitigated because the attacker’s violent intent and wrath drive the confrontation.
Arjuna argues a point of dharma: when a person is confronted by an ātatāyin (a deadly assailant), slaying that aggressor in response does not make the defender a ‘bhrūṇahā’; he frames it as a compelled defensive act arising from the attacker’s aggression.