Shloka 28

Devanagari script

अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्यो दत्त्वा यः प्रव्रजेद्‌ द्विज: । लोकास्तेजोमयास्तस्य प्रेत्य चानन्त्यमश्लुते,जो ब्राह्मण सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंकों अभयदान देकर संन्यासी हो जाता है, वह मरनेके पश्चात्‌ तेजोमय लोकमें जाता है और अन्तमें मोक्ष प्राप्त कर लेता है

Transliteration

abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyo dattvā yaḥ pravrajed dvijaḥ | lokās tejomayās tasya pretya cānantyam aśnute ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: The twice-born who, having granted fearlessness to all beings, renounces the world as a wandering ascetic—after death attains radiant worlds, and in the end reaches the Infinite, final liberation.

Word by Word

अभयम्fearlessness, safety

सर्वभूतेभ्यःto all beings

दत्त्वाhaving given

यःwho

प्रव्रजेत्would go forth (renounce), becomes a wandering ascetic

द्विजःa twice-born (Brahmin etc.)

लोकाःworlds, realms

तेजोमयाःmade of radiance, luminous

तस्यof him

प्रेत्यhaving departed (after death)

चand

अनन्त्यम्endlessness; the infinite state (final liberation)

अश्नुतेattains, obtains

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

dvija (twice-born renunciant)

sarvabhūta (all beings)

tejomaya lokāḥ (radiant worlds)

ānantya (the Infinite/mokṣa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Renunciation becomes spiritually fruitful when grounded in universal non-harm: one who gives 'abhaya'—a commitment not to frighten, injure, or exploit any being—and then goes forth as a mendicant is said to attain luminous post-mortem realms and ultimately mokṣa (ānantya).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Vyāsa states a rule-like assurance: a dvija who first establishes harmlessness toward all creatures and then adopts the life of pravrajyā (wandering renunciation) gains exalted destinations after death and finally reaches the Infinite.