Shloka 25

Devanagari script

यज्ञदानतप:शीला नरा वै पुण्यकर्मिण: । येअभिद्रह्मन्ति भूतानि ते वै पापकृतो जना:,जो यज्ञ, दान और तपस्यामें प्रवीण रहते हैं, वे ही मनुष्य पुण्य कर्म करनेवाले हैं तथा जो प्राणियोंसे द्रोह करते हैं, वे ही पापाचारी समझे जाते हैं

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | yajñadānatapaḥśīlā narā vai puṇyakarmiṇaḥ | ye 'bhidruhṇanti bhūtāni te vai pāpakṛto janāḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: Those people who are devoted to sacrifice, charity, and austerity are truly doers of merit. But those who bear malice toward living beings and harm them are to be known as sinners. The verse sets an ethical measure of dharma: inner discipline and generosity elevate, while hostility to creatures marks moral downfall.

Word by Word

यज्ञदानतपःशीलाःhaving the disposition of sacrifice, charity, and austerity

नराःmen, people

वैindeed

पुण्यकर्मिणःdoers of meritorious deeds

येwho

अभिद्रुह्यन्तिact treacherously against, harm

भूतानिliving beings

तेthey

वैindeed

पापकृतःdoers of sin

जनाःpeople

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

bhūtāni (living beings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Merit is defined by sustained commitment to yajña (sacred duty), dāna (generosity), and tapas (self-discipline), while sin is defined by hostility and harm toward living beings. Dharma is measured not only by ritual and ascetic practice but also by one’s attitude and conduct toward all creatures.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Vyāsa delivers a concise moral criterion: he distinguishes the truly virtuous from the sinful by contrasting religious-ethical practices (sacrifice, charity, austerity) with cruelty or malice toward beings.