Shloka 5
Kāma–Mamatā–Upadeśa
Discourse on Desire, Possessiveness, and Ritual Duty
अविनाशो<स्य सत्त्वस्य नियतो यदि भारत | भित्त्वा शरीरं भूतानामहिंसां प्रतिपद्यते,भरतनन्दन! यदि इस जगत्की सत्ताका विनाश न होना ही निश्चित हो, तब तो प्राणियोंके शरीरका भेदन करके भी मनुष्य अहिंसाका ही फल प्राप्त करेगा
avināśo 'sya sattvasya niyato yadi bhārata | bhittvā śarīraṃ bhūtānām ahiṃsāṃ pratipadyate ||
Vāyu sprach: „O Bhārata, wenn man als feste Gewissheit annimmt, dass das wesentliche Sein dieser Welt nicht zerstört werden kann, dann würde nach dieser Logik selbst derjenige, der die Körper lebender Wesen durchbohrt, die Frucht der Ahimsā (Gewaltlosigkeit) erlangen.“
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse tests a moral argument: if one assumes that the true essence of beings is indestructible, then physical harm could be wrongly claimed to be compatible with non-violence. It highlights the danger of using metaphysical claims to excuse हिंसा (harm) and to confuse ethical accountability.
Vāyudeva addresses a Bharata prince in a didactic exchange, presenting a pointed line of reasoning about indestructibility and the supposed ‘fruit’ of ahiṃsā, as part of a broader discussion on dharma and the moral evaluation of injury and action.