Shloka 3
अध्याय १३२ — कर्मणा मनसा वाचा: स्वर्गमार्गः तथा आयुर्विपाकः
Adhyāya 132 — The path to heaven through deed, mind, and speech; karmic results for lifespan
वनस्पति च यो हन्यादमावास्यामबुद्धिमान् । अपि होकेन पत्रेण लिप्यते ब्रह्म॒हत्यया,जो मूर्ख अमावास्याके दिन किसी वनस्पतिका एक पत्ता भी तोड़ता है, उसे ब्रह्महत्याका पाप लगता है
vanaspatiṁ ca yo hanyād amāvāsyām abuddhimān | api hokena patreṇa lipyate brahmahatyayā ||
Bhīṣma said: “If a foolish person harms a tree on the new-moon day, even by merely plucking a single leaf, he becomes tainted with the sin of brahmahatyā (the gravest moral transgression).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma requires restraint from needless harm: even minor injury to plant life—especially on a sacred observance like Amāvāsyā—is treated as a serious moral fault, emphasizing reverence for life and disciplined conduct.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the gravity of certain actions and the importance of self-control and non-injury, using a strong comparison (brahmahatyā) to stress the point.