Shloka 16
राजधर्मः—राष्ट्ररक्षणं, दण्डनीतिः, हयग्रीवोपाख्यानम्
Royal Duty: Protection, Penal Policy, and the Hayagrīva Exemplum
हन्तीति मन्यते वक्रिन्न हन्तीत्यपि चापर: । स्वभावतस्तु नियतौ भूतानां प्रभवाप्ययौं,“एक मानता है कि आत्मा मारता है।” दूसरा ऐसा मानता है कि “नहीं मारता है।' पाज्चभौतिक शरीरोंके जन्म और मरण स्वभावत: नियत हैं
hantīti manyate vākri na hantīty api cāparaḥ | svabhāvatas tu niyatau bhūtānāṃ prabhavāpyayau ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Seorang menyangka, ‘Ia membunuh’; seorang lagi menyangka, ‘Ia tidak membunuh.’ Namun menurut fitrah, kemunculan dan lenyapnya makhluk yang berjasad adalah sesuatu yang telah tetap.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Disputes about whether the self ‘kills’ or ‘does not kill’ miss a deeper point: embodied existence is governed by an inherent, orderly cycle of arising and passing away. The verse encourages steadiness and ethical discernment by recognizing the inevitability of birth and death for the elemental body, rather than clinging to confused notions of personal agency alone.
Vyāsa addresses a listener whose understanding is described as ‘crooked,’ contrasting two common views about killing. He then reframes the issue: regardless of such arguments, the natural law of origination and dissolution operates for beings, setting the stage for a calmer, dharma-oriented reflection on action, responsibility, and the nature of embodied life.