Shloka 22
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
तानत्ति पुरुष: सर्वान् पश्य कालो यथागतः । प्राणस्यान्नमिदं सर्व जड़मं स्थावरं च यत्,परंतु इन सबको मनुष्य मारकर खा जाता है। देखो, कैसा काल आ गया है? यह सम्पूर्ण चराचर जगत् प्राणका अन्न है
tān atti puruṣaḥ sarvān paśya kālo yathāgataḥ | prāṇasyānnam idaṃ sarvaṃ jaḍaṃ sthāvaraṃ ca yat |
Wika ni Arjuna: “Nilalamon ng tao ang lahat ng iyon—masdan, anong panahon ang dumating sa atin! Para sa may buhay, ang buong daigdig ay nagiging pagkain: maging ang walang-malay at ang di-kumikilos. Ganyan ang kaayusan ng Panahon, kung saan ang buhay ay nabubuhay sa pag-ubos ng buhay at ng bagay.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and existential tension that life is sustained through consumption: under the force of Kāla (Time), beings live by taking other beings or matter as ‘food’. It invites reflection on necessity, restraint, and the inevitability of change and destruction within worldly existence.
Arjuna, speaking in a reflective tone, points out the harsh reality that humans consume other beings and even what is ‘inert’ or ‘immobile’. He frames this as a manifestation of Kāla—suggesting that the prevailing condition of the world compels such acts, prompting ethical contemplation rather than simple approval.