Shloka 13
कालनिर्देशः शोकनिवारणं च
Instruction on Kāla and the Removal of Grief
शरणागतसंत्यागो भृत्यस्यथाभरणं तथा । रसानां विक्रयश्षापि तिर्यग्योनिवधस्तथा,दक्षिणानामदानं च ब्राह्मणस्वाभिमर्शनम् । सर्वाण्येतान्यकार्याणि प्राहुर्धमविदो जना:
śaraṇāgata-santyāgo bhṛtyasyāthābharaṇaṃ tathā | rasānāṃ vikrayaś cāpi tiryag-yoni-vadhas tathā, dakṣiṇānām adānaṃ ca brāhmaṇa-svābhimarśanam | sarvāṇy etāny akāryāṇi prāhur dharmavido janāḥ ||
Vyāsa sprach: „Den Schutzsuchenden zu verlassen; dem abhängigen Diener die gebührende Versorgung und den Schutz zu verweigern; mit berauschenden oder lustspendenden Stoffen Handel zu treiben; Tiere zu töten; die üblichen Gaben (zumal die in Riten geschuldeten) zu verweigern; und einen Brāhmaṇa zu verletzen oder zu schänden — die wahrhaft Dharma-Kundigen erklären all dies zu Handlungen, die nicht getan werden dürfen.“
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is expressed through specific restraints: never betray one who seeks refuge, fulfill obligations to dependents, avoid harmful/exploitative trade, refrain from needless violence toward animals, honor ritual and charitable dues (dakṣiṇā), and never commit outrage against a brāhmaṇa. These are labeled akṛtya/akārya—actions that must be avoided.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Vyāsa enumerates concrete examples of prohibited behavior. The verse functions as a didactic list, defining what ‘knowers of dharma’ condemn, thereby guiding the listener toward social responsibility, non-violence, and reverence for sacred persons and obligations.