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Shloka 226

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

एतैश्व सह धर्मोडपि तं जीवमनुगच्छति । दिन और रात भी इस जगतके सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके कर्मोंके साक्षी हैं। इन सबके साथ धर्म भी जीवका अनुसरण करता है

etaiś ca saha dharmo 'pi taṃ jīvam anugacchati | dinaṃ ca rātriṃ ca jagataḥ samasta-prāṇināṃ karmāṇāṃ sākṣiṇī bhavataḥ | ebhiḥ sarvaiḥ saha dharmo 'pi jīvasya anugamanaṃ karoti |

Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Mit diesen zusammen folgt auch Dharma dem lebenden Wesen.“ Tag und Nacht sind Zeugen der Taten aller Geschöpfe in dieser Welt. Inmitten all dieser Zeugen bleibt Dharma der Seele zur Seite—so ist keine Handlung wahrhaft ohne Zeugnis und ohne Folge.

एतैःwith these
एतैः:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootएतद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
सहtogether with
सह:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसह
धर्मःDharma (righteousness/merit)
धर्मः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अपिalso/even
अपि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि
तम्that (him)
तम्:
Karma
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
जीवम्living being
जीवम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootजीव
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
अनुगच्छतिfollows
अनुगच्छति:
TypeVerb
Rootअनु-गम्
FormPresent, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

युधिछिर उवाच

Y
Yudhiṣṭhira
D
Dharma
D
day (dina)
N
night (rātri)
L
living beings (jīva/prāṇin)

Educational Q&A

No deed is truly hidden: day and night are constant witnesses, and Dharma itself accompanies the living being. Therefore one should act with moral awareness, knowing that actions carry ethical consequence.

Yudhiṣṭhira is articulating a moral principle within the Anuśāsana-parvan’s instruction on righteous conduct: the world itself (through time—day and night) bears witness to actions, and Dharma follows the jīva, ensuring accountability.