Shloka 14
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
हतं हन्ति हतो होव यो नरो हन्ति कठ्चन । उभौ तौ न विजानीतो यश्न हन्ति हतश्ष यः
hataṃ hanti hato hova yo naro hanti kaścana | ubhau tau na vijānīto yaś ca hanti hataś ca yaḥ ||
শক্র বললেন—যে মানুষ অন্যকে হত্যা করে, সে আসলে নিজেই ‘নিহত’; সে নিহতকেই আঘাত করে। যে হত্যা করে এবং যে নিহত হয়—উভয়েই আত্মাকে জানে না; কারণ আত্মা হত্যাকর্মের না কর্তা, না কর্ম।
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that violence is rooted in ignorance of the ātman: the Self is not truly killed and is not the true doer of killing. Therefore, both the killer and the killed are described as lacking Self-knowledge, and the ethical thrust is to turn from harm toward insight and restraint.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Śakra (Indra) delivers a reflective teaching that reframes killing through the lens of the imperishable Self, emphasizing that ordinary notions of slayer and slain arise from misunderstanding.