Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 50
कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः
Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time
निर्दय: सर्वभूतानां नित्यमुद्रेगकारक: । अपि कीटपिपीलानामशरण्य: सुनिर्घण:
nirdayaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ nityam udvegakārakaḥ | api kīṭapipīlānām aśaraṇyaḥ sunirghaṇaḥ || evaṁbhūto naro devi nirayaṁ pratipadyate |
Maheshvara said: “O Goddess, a man who is merciless to all beings, who constantly causes fear and agitation, who is so brutally cruel that even insects and ants find no refuge with him—such a person, being of this nature, falls into hell. The ethical point is clear: habitual violence and the deliberate terrorizing of living creatures are grave adharma and lead to severe consequences.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Relentless cruelty and violence toward living beings—especially the habit of causing fear and harm without compassion—constitute serious adharma and lead to painful karmic results, described here as falling into niraya (hell).
Maheshvara addresses Devī and characterizes a violently cruel person—merciless to all creatures, even insects and ants—and declares the consequence: such a person attains niraya, underscoring the moral gravity of habitual harm.