Shloka 1146
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
वरं पिनाकी भगवान् सर्वभूतहिते रत: । इतना ही नहीं, सर्वभूतहितकारी पिनाकपाणि भगवान् शिवने गीध और गीदड़को भी उनकी भूख मिट जानेका वरदान दे दिया
varaṁ pinākī bhagavān sarvabhūtahite rataḥ |
Bhīṣma said: The Blessed Lord Pinākī (Śiva), ever devoted to the welfare of all beings, granted a boon. Indeed, that Pināka-bearing Śiva—whose intent is the good of every creature—bestowed even upon the vulture and the jackal a gift by which their hunger would be satisfied, revealing impartial compassion that extends beyond humankind to all living beings.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma includes sarvabhūta-hita—concern for the welfare of all beings. Śiva’s boon to even scavenging animals highlights impartial compassion and the ethical ideal of extending care beyond one’s own group or species.
Bhīṣma describes Śiva (Pinākī) as devoted to universal welfare and recounts that he granted a boon that satisfied the hunger of a vulture and a jackal, demonstrating divine benevolence reaching even the lowly and the overlooked.