Shloka 12
नायं यज्ञो न वा धर्मो यत्र रुद्रो न इज्यते । वधबन्धं प्रपन्ना वै कि नु कालस्य पर्यय:
nāyaṁ yajño na vā dharmo yatra rudro na ijyate | vadhabandhaṁ prapannā vai ki nu kālasya paryayaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Itu tidak layak disebut korban suci (yajña), dan tidak pula boleh disebut dharma, di tempat Rudra tidak disembah. Setelah terjerumus ke dalam keadaan pembunuhan dan penawanan, apakah pembalikan Kala (takdir) yang begini dahsyat ini?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that ritual and dharma are incomplete without honoring Rudra, and it frames human suffering (slaughter, bondage) as a troubling ‘reversal of Time,’ prompting reflection on how neglect of rightful worship and moral order can coincide with catastrophic turns of fate.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, comments on a situation marked by violence and captivity, interpreting it through a dharmic lens: true yajña/dharma requires proper divine reverence (here, Rudra), and the present calamity is described as an astonishing turn in the course of Kāla (fate/time).