Shloka 29
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
अहिंसा परम धर्म है, अहिंसा परम संयम है, अहिंसा परम दान है और अहिंसा परम तपस्या है ।।
ahiṃsā paramo dharmaḥ, ahiṃsā paramaḥ saṃyamaḥ, ahiṃsā paramaṃ dānam, ahiṃsā paramā tapasyā. ahiṃsā paramo yajñas tathāhiṃsā paraṃ phalam | ahiṃsā paramaṃ mitram ahiṃsā paramaṃ sukham ||
Bhīṣma verkündet: Ahiṃsā ist das höchste Dharma und die erhabenste Disziplin der Selbstbeherrschung. Sie ist die größte Gabe und die höchste Askese. Ahiṃsā ist das vornehmste Opfer (yajña) und zugleich der größte Lohn; sie ist der beste Freund und das höchste Glück.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ahiṃsā (non-violence) is presented as the supreme value that encompasses and surpasses other virtues: it is the highest dharma, the deepest self-restraint, the greatest charity, the truest austerity, the best sacrifice, and the surest source of reward, friendship, and happiness.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma from his bed of arrows. Here he emphasizes a foundational ethical principle—ahiṃsā—as the guiding standard for righteous conduct and spiritual merit.