Shloka 16
Adhyaya 60: Self-Assertion, Daiva, and the Rhetoric of Inevitability (उद्योग पर्व)
भयानकानि विषये व्यालादीनि न सन्ति मे । मन्त्रगुप्तानि भूतानि न हिंसन्ति भयंकरा:
bhayānakāni viṣaye vyālādīni na santi me | mantragoptāni bhūtāni na hiṃsanti bhayaṃkarāḥ ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—मम विषये भयानकानि व्यालादीनि न सन्ति; मन्त्रगुप्तानि च भूतानि, भयंकराण्यपि, न हिंसन्ति।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A well-ordered realm is one where threats are restrained rather than unleashed; spiritual discipline (mantra) symbolizes ethical and ritual control that prevents even naturally fearsome forces from causing harm.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a territory as being free from frightening dangers like serpents and other wild beings, explaining that even formidable creatures do not attack because they are held in check through mantric protection.