Previous Verse
Next Verse

Shloka 21

Divyāstrāṇāṃ Pradarśana-nivāraṇa

Display of Divine Weapons and Its Prohibition

पितामहेन संहार: प्रजानां विहितो ध्रुवम्‌ । न हि युद्धमिदं युक्तमन्यत्र जगत: क्षयात्‌,“जान पड़ता है, विधाताने आज समस्त प्रजाका संहार निश्चित किया है, अवश्य ऐसी ही बात है। जगत्‌के संहारके अतिरिक्त अन्य समयमें ऐसे भयानक युद्धका होना सम्भव नहीं है”

pitāmahena saṃhāraḥ prajānāṃ vihito dhruvam | na hi yuddham idaṃ yuktam anyatra jagataḥ kṣayāt ||

നിശ്ചയമായും സ്രഷ്ടാവ് ഇന്ന് സർവ്വപ്രജകളുടെയും സംഹാരം വിധിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. ലോകപ്രളയം ഒഴികെ മറ്റേതൊരു സമയത്തും ഇത്തരമൊരു ഭീകരയുദ്ധം യുക്തമല്ല.

पितामहेनby the grandsire (Brahmā)
पितामहेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootपितामह
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
संहारःdestruction
संहारः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसंहार
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
प्रजानाम्of the creatures/subjects
प्रजानाम्:
Sambandha
TypeNoun
Rootप्रजा
FormFeminine, Genitive, Plural
विहितःordained/appointed
विहितः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootवि + धा (विधान)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)
ध्रुवम्certainly, surely
ध्रुवम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootध्रुव
Formtrue
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
Formtrue
हिindeed, for
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
Formtrue
युद्धम्war
युद्धम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootयुद्ध
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
इदम्this
इदम्:
Visheshana
TypePronoun
Rootइदम्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
युक्तम्proper, fitting, possible
युक्तम्:
TypeAdjective
Rootयुज् (युक्त)
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)
अन्यत्रelsewhere; at another time/otherwise
अन्यत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअन्यत्र
Formtrue
जगतःof the world
जगतः:
Sambandha
TypeNoun
Rootजगत्
FormNeuter, Genitive, Singular
क्षयात्than destruction; apart from (the) destruction
क्षयात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootक्षय
FormMasculine, Ablative, Singular

अजुन उवाच

A
Arjuna
P
Pitāmaha (Brahmā/Creator)
P
prajā (creatures/people)
J
jagat (the world/universe)

Educational Q&A

The verse frames extreme violence as morally and cosmically abnormal: a war of such terror appears justifiable only at a world-ending dissolution, highlighting the tension between dharma (what is fitting) and a sense of inevitable fate.

Arjuna reacts to the prospect or spectacle of catastrophic conflict, interpreting it as a sign that the Creator (Pitāmaha) has decreed mass destruction; he questions the propriety of such warfare except in an apocalyptic context.