Shloka 1936

Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption

Devanagari script

शरीरनिचयं ज्ञातुं बुद्धिस्तु मम जायते । युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--भगवन्‌! आपके मुँहसे मैंने धर्मयुक्त परम हितकर बात सुनी। अब शरीरकी स्थिति जाननेके लिये मेरा विचार हो रहा है

Transliteration

śarīra-nicayaṃ jñātuṃ buddhis tu mama jāyate |

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira fragte: „O Bhagavān! Aus deinem Mund habe ich Worte vernommen, die der Dharma gemäß und höchst heilsam sind. Nun erhebt sich in meinem Geist der Wunsch zu erkennen: die wahre Beschaffenheit und Verfassung des Körpers zu verstehen.“

Word by Word

• शरीर: body
• शरीर: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• निचयम्: aggregate, collection
• निचयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निचय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• ज्ञातुम्: to know
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा
• Form: Tumun (infinitive), Parasmaipada/Atmanepada-neutral (infinitive)

• बुद्धिः: understanding, thought
• बुद्धिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: indeed, but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• मम: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Singular

• जायते: arises, is born
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Lat, Present, Atmanepada, Third, Singular, Active (intransitive)

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames ethical and spiritual inquiry as grounded in discernment (buddhi): after hearing dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira turns to understanding the body’s compounded nature, a step that supports detachment, humility, and clearer moral judgment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the ongoing instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira, having listened to beneficial teachings, asks to be taught about the body—its constitution as an aggregate—signaling a shift from practical dharma to reflective, philosophical understanding.