Shloka 57
कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः
Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time
न घातयति नो हन्ति घ्नन्तं नैवानुमोदते । सर्वभूतेषु सस्नेही यथा55त्मनि तथापरे
na ghātayati no hanti ghnantaṃ naivānumodate | sarvabhūteṣu sasnehī yathātmāni tathāpare ||
Mahādeva said: “He neither causes others to kill nor kills himself, and he does not approve of one who kills. He is affectionate toward all beings, and he regards others just as he regards his own self.” In context, the verse praises complete non-violence in thought, word, and deed—refusing direct harm, indirect instigation, and even moral endorsement of harm—grounded in universal empathy.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True non-violence is threefold: one should not kill, not cause killing, and not even approve of killing; it rests on universal empathy—seeing others as oneself.
Mahādeva is instructing (in a didactic passage) on the qualities of an ideal righteous person, highlighting compassion toward all beings and complete abstention from violence and its endorsement.