Shloka 93
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
दण्डं समुद्गरं शूलमग्निकुम्भं च दारुणम् । असिपत्रवनं घोरवालुकं कूटशाल्मलीम्
daṇḍaṃ samudgaraṃ śūlam agnikumbhaṃ ca dāruṇam | asipatravanaṃ ghoravālukaṃ kūṭaśālmalīm ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “(There are) the rod, the mace, the spear, and the dreadful pot of fire; and the forest of sword-leaves, the terrifying sands, and the thorny śālmalī-tree (region).”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses stark images of weapons and tormenting terrains to stress that adharma leads to severe consequences; ethical conduct (dharma) is not merely ideal but safeguards one from the results of wrongdoing.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking and listing dreadful instruments and places associated with punishment (nāraka-like imagery), as part of a broader discussion on sin, retribution, and the moral order upheld by dharma.