Shloka 25
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच अहिंसा सत्यवचनं सर्वभूतानुकम्पनम् । शमो दानं यथाशक्ति गार्हस्थ्यो धर्म उत्तम:
śrīmaheśvara uvāca: ahiṃsā satyavacanaṃ sarvabhūtānukampanam | śamo dānaṃ yathāśakti gārhasthyo dharma uttamaḥ ||
Śrī Maheśvara said: “O Devī, the highest dharma for one who lives the householder’s life is this: non-violence toward any being, truthfulness in speech, compassion for all creatures, self-restraint (calming the mind and governing the senses), and giving in charity according to one’s capacity.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines the supreme dharma of a householder as a fivefold ethical discipline: non-violence, truthfulness, compassion to all beings, self-restraint, and charity proportionate to one’s means.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional setting, Śrī Maheśvara addresses Devī and enumerates the principal virtues that constitute ideal conduct for the gārhasthya (householder) stage of life.