अहिंसा परम धर्म है, अहिंसा परम संयम है, अहिंसा परम दान है और अहिंसा परम तपस्या है ।।
ahiṃsā paramo dharmaḥ, ahiṃsā paramaḥ saṃyamaḥ, ahiṃsā paramaṃ dānam, ahiṃsā paramā tapasyā. ahiṃsā paramo yajñas tathāhiṃsā paraṃ phalam | ahiṃsā paramaṃ mitram ahiṃsā paramaṃ sukham ||
يُعلن بهيشما: الأَهِمْسَا هي أعلى الدَّرْمَا وأسمى انضباطٍ لضبط النفس. وهي أعظم صدقة وأرفع تَقَشُّف. ويقول: الأَهِمْسَا هي أسمى يَجْنَا (القربان/الذبيحة الطقسية) وهي كذلك أعظم ثمرة؛ وهي خير صديق وأعلى سعادة.
भीष्म उवाच
Ahiṃsā (non-violence) is presented as the supreme value that encompasses and surpasses other virtues: it is the highest dharma, the deepest self-restraint, the greatest charity, the truest austerity, the best sacrifice, and the surest source of reward, friendship, and happiness.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma from his bed of arrows. Here he emphasizes a foundational ethical principle—ahiṃsā—as the guiding standard for righteous conduct and spiritual merit.