Shloka 13
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्यो यो ददाति दयापर: । अभयं तस्य भूतानि ददतीत्यनुशुश्रुम,जो दयापरायण पुरुष सम्पूर्ण भूतोंको अभयदान देता है, उसे भी सब प्राणी अभयदान देते हैं। ऐसा हमने सुन रखा है
abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyo yo dadāti dayāparaḥ | abhayaṃ tasya bhūtāni dadatīty anuśuśruma ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wer, der Barmherzigkeit ergeben, allen Wesen Furchtlosigkeit gewährt—von dem heißt es, dass alle Geschöpfe ihm wiederum Furchtlosigkeit gewähren. So lautet die Überlieferung, die wir empfangen haben.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Compassion expressed as granting safety and non-fear to all beings (abhaya-dāna) creates a moral reciprocity: the world responds by becoming non-threatening to such a person. It praises kindness and protection as a high form of dharma.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he cites a traditional maxim: one who is compassionate and gives fearlessness to all creatures is, in turn, met with fearlessness from them.