Shloka 9

अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः

Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning

Devanagari script

पितामह उवाच मृत्यो संकल्पिता मे त्वं प्रजासंहारहेतुना । गच्छ संहर सर्वस्त्विं प्रजा मा च विचारय

Transliteration

pitāmaha uvāca mṛtyo saṅkalpitā me tvaṃ prajāsaṃhārahetunā | gaccha saṃhara sarvāstv iṃ prajā mā ca vicāraya ||

Translation

Der Ahnvater sprach: „O Tod, ich habe dich mit Bedacht ins Dasein gerufen, einzig zu dem Zweck, die Auflösung der Geschöpfe herbeizuführen. Geh—vernichte alle Wesen. Zögere nicht und erwäge es nicht.“

Word by Word

• पितामहः: the Grandsire (Brahmā)
• पितामहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• मृत्यो: O Death
• मृत्यो: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• संकल्पिता: created/appointed (by resolve)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संकल्पित
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• मे: by me / of me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• प्रजा-संहार-हेतुना: as the cause/instrument for the destruction of creatures
• प्रजा-संहार-हेतुना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• गच्छ: go
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• संहर: destroy / withdraw
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-हृ
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रजाः: creatures / subjects
• प्रजाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• मा: do not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा
• Form: prohibitive particle

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: conjunction

• विचारय: consider / deliberate
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-चर्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

पितामह उवाच

Characters & Entities

• पितामह (Brahmā)
• मृत्यु (Death, personified)
• प्रजा (creatures/beings)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames death and destruction as a necessary function within cosmic dharma: Mṛtyu is appointed as an instrument of saṃhāra (dissolution), and is instructed to act without personal hesitation, emphasizing duty aligned with the creator’s ordinance rather than individual sentiment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Brahmā (addressed as Pitāmaha) speaks directly to the personified deity Death, stating that Death was intentionally brought forth to end living beings, and commands Death to proceed with the task of destroying all creatures without doubt or deliberation.