Shloka 16
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
य एव देवा हन्तारस्ताललोको<र्चयते भृशम् । हन्ता रुद्रस्तथा स्कन्द: शक्रोडग्निर्वरुणो यम:
ya eva devā hantāras tāl loko 'rcayate bhṛśam | hantā rudras tathā skandaḥ śakro 'gnir varuṇo yamaḥ ||
Arjuna nói: “Chính những vị thần ấy—những đấng hủy diệt mà thế gian thờ phụng với lòng sùng kính mãnh liệt—cũng là kẻ sát phạt: Rudra, và cả Skanda; Indra; Agni; Varuṇa; và Yama.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: beings revered as divine are also agents of destruction. It invites reflection on how violence can be framed within cosmic order (dharma) and why society venerates powers that both protect and punish.
Arjuna is speaking and pointing out that the world intensely worships certain deities, yet these very gods are known as slayers—Rudra, Skanda, Indra, Agni, Varuṇa, and Yama—underscoring the complex role of divine power in maintaining order.