नहि प्राणात् प्रियतरं लोके किंचन विद्यते । तस्माद् दयां नर: कुर्याद् यथा55त्मनि तथा परे
na hi prāṇāt priyataraṃ loke kiṃcana vidyate | tasmād dayāṃ naraḥ kuryād yathātmāni tathā pare ||
قال بهيشما: «ليس في هذا العالم شيءٌ أحبَّ من نَفَسِ الحياةِ للمرء. فلذلك ينبغي للإنسان أن يمارس الرحمة—فيُظهر للآخرين من الشفقة ومراعاة الحال مثلَ ما يطلبه لنفسه».
भीष्म उवाच
Since life is the dearest possession for every being, one should extend compassion to others by applying the same standard one applies to oneself—an ethical rule of empathy and non-harm grounded in the value of life.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he emphasizes dayā (compassion) as a practical moral duty, arguing from a universal human attachment to life.