Shloka 22
Chapter 15: Counsel on Initiative vs. Renunciation in the Rajasuya Project (सभापर्व, अध्याय १५)
प्रोक्षितानां प्रमृष्टानां राज्ञां पशुपतेर्गृहि । पशूनामिव का प्रीतिर्जीविते भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! रुद्रदेवताको बलि देनेके लिये जल छिड़ककर एवं मार्जन करके शुद्ध किये हुए पशुओंकी भाँति जो पशुपतिके मन्दिरमें कैद हैं, उन राजाओंको अब अपने जीवनमें क्या प्रीति रह गयी है?
prokṣitānāṁ pramṛṣṭānāṁ rājñāṁ paśupater gṛhe | paśūnām iva kā prītir jīvite bharatarṣabha ||
Kṛṣṇa berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara keturunan Bharata, apakah lagi kegembiraan yang tinggal bagi para raja itu dalam hidup—disiram air dan dilap bersih seperti binatang yang disucikan untuk korban—sedangkan mereka dikurung di rumah-kuil Paśupati?”
कृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Krishna uses ritual-sacrifice imagery to condemn the dehumanizing treatment of captive kings: mere outward ‘purification’ cannot justify stripping beings of freedom and dignity. The verse presses an ethical point—life without autonomy and honor becomes joyless, and rulers have a duty to prevent such oppression.
Krishna addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra, evoking the plight of kings imprisoned and treated like animals prepared for a sacrificial offering to Paśupati (Rudra/Śiva). The statement underscores their despair and the urgency of rescuing them from confinement and impending ritual death.