Shloka 19
Purohita-Niyoga and the Brahma–Kṣatra Concord
Aila–Kaśyapa Saṃvāda
कश्यप उवाच आत्मा रुद्रो हृदये मानवानां स्व॑ं स्वं देहं परदेहं च हन्ति । वातोत्पातै: सदृशं रुद्रमाहु- देवैर्जीमूतैी: सदृशं रूपमस्य
kaśyapa uvāca | ātmā rudro hṛdaye mānavānāṁ svaṁ svaṁ dehaṁ paradehaṁ ca hanti | vātotpātaiḥ sadṛśaṁ rudram āhur devair jīmūtaiḥ sadṛśaṁ rūpam asya |
Kasyapa berkata: “Wahai Raja, Rudra bersemayam sebagai Sang Diri (Ātman) di dalam hati manusia. Ketika saat yang ditetapkan tiba, ia mendatangkan kebinasaan bagi tubuh sendiri maupun tubuh orang lain. Orang bijak menyebut Rudra secepat dan setak terbendung angin badai, dan wujudnya laksana gumpalan awan yang pekat.”
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames death and destruction as part of a cosmic function: Rudra, present inwardly as the indwelling Self, brings beings to their end when time ripens. Ethically, it encourages sobriety and detachment—recognizing that life and death are governed by a larger order rather than mere personal will.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Kashyapa explains Rudra’s nature: he dwells within humans and, at the destined moment, causes the end of one’s own body and others’. To convey Rudra’s power, he uses vivid similes—Rudra’s force is like a violent storm-wind, and his appearance is like dense clouds.