Shloka 26
न चाहं कामये पापमपि कीटपिपीलयो: । कि पुनर्ज्ञातिषु वधं कामयेयं कथंचन,“मैं तो कीड़ों और चींटियोंको भी कष्ट पहुँचाना नहीं चाहता; फिर अपने भाई-बन्धुओं अथवा कुट॒म्बी-जनोंके वधकी कामना किसी प्रकार भी कैसे कर सकता हूँ?
na cāhaṁ kāmaye pāpam api kīṭa-pipīlayoḥ | ki punar jñātiṣu vadhaṁ kāmaye'yaṁ kathaṁcana ||
“মই ত কীৰা-পিঁপড়াৰ প্ৰতিও পাপ কৰিবলৈ নাচাওঁ; তেন্তে নিজৰ জ্ঞাতি-স্বজনৰ বধ মই কেনেকৈ কেতিয়াও কামনা কৰিম?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ethic of non-harm: if one refrains from wrongdoing even toward the smallest creatures, it is far more unthinkable to wish violence upon one’s own relatives. It frames kin-slaying as a grave moral transgression (pāpa) and emphasizes restraint and compassion.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, the speaker voices a strong reluctance toward violence. By contrasting tiny beings (worms and ants) with one’s own jñāti (kinsmen), the statement underscores the moral tension surrounding the impending conflict and the desire to avoid fratricidal war.