Shloka 53
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
जगद् विनिर्दहेदेवमल्पतेजसि पातितम् | पीड्यमानेन बलवत् प्रयोज्यं स्याद्ू धनंजय
arjuna uvāca | jagad vinirdahad evam alpatejasi pātitam | pīḍyamānena balavat prayojyaṃ syād dhanaṃjaya ||
ອາຣະຈຸນກ່າວວ່າ: «ຖ້າເມື່ອປາໃສ່ຜູ້ມີຣັດສະໝີນ້ອຍ ມັນຈະເຜົາໂລກທັງປວງໄດ້ແນວນີ້ ແລ້ວມັນຄວນຖືກນຳໃຊ້ດ້ວຍພະລັງອັນແຮງກ້າ ຕໍ່ຜູ້ທີ່ແທ້ຈິງແຂງແກ່—ໂອ ທະນັນຊະຍະ!»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power must be used with restraint and proportionality. A force capable of catastrophic harm should not be unleashed on a weak opponent; it is ethically appropriate only when truly necessary against a formidable threat.
Arjuna reflects on the destructive potential of a mighty force (implicitly a weapon or power). Observing that it could ‘burn the world’ even when used on someone of lesser power, he argues it should be reserved for use—if at all—only against a genuinely powerful adversary.