Shanti Parva Adhyaya 257 Shloka 1 - Mahabharata | German | Vedapath

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Shloka 1

अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः

Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning

Devanagari script

अपन क्रात बछ। अकाल अष्टपज्चाशर्दाधिकद्विशततमो< ध्याय: मृत्युकी घोर तपस्या और प्रजापतिकी आज्ञासे उसका प्राणियोंके संहारका कार्य स्वीकार करना नारद उवाच विनीय दुःखमबला सा5<त्मनैवायतेक्षणा । उवाच प्राञ्जलिर्भूत्वा लतेवावर्जिता तदा

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | vinīya duḥkham abalā sātmanaivāyatekṣaṇā | uvāca prāñjalir bhūtvā latevāvarjitā tadā ||

Translation

Nārada sprach: Da bezwang die sanfte, großäugige Frau ihren Kummer aus eigener Entschlossenheit. Demütig, mit gefalteten Händen—wie eine herabgeneigte Ranke—sprach sie damals zu Brahmā.

Word by Word

विनीयhaving removed/put away

दुःखम्sorrow, grief

अबलाthe weak woman (she)

साshe

आत्मनाby herself

एवindeed, just

आयतेक्षणाshe of long/wide eyes

उवाचsaid, spoke

प्राञ्जलिःwith joined hands

भूत्वाhaving become

लताa creeper, vine

इवlike, as if

अवर्जिताbent down, bowed

तदाthen

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Brahmā (implied by context: addressed as Brahmā in the prose gloss)

the unnamed large-eyed woman (āyatekṣaṇā abalā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches ethical self-mastery: one should restrain grief internally and approach elders or divine authority with humility and reverence (folded hands), making one’s speech fit for receiving guidance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Narada narrates that a large-eyed woman, after steadying her sorrow, bows humbly with folded hands and begins to speak to Brahmā, signaling a transition from emotional turmoil to respectful petition.