Shloka 19

Devanagari script

एवं सर्वमहिंसायां धर्मार्थमपिधीयते । अमृत: स नित्यं वसति यो हिंसां न प्रपद्यते,जैसे पैरोंद्वारा चलनेवाले अन्य प्राणियोंके सम्पूर्ण पदचिह्न हाथीके पदचिह्ममें समा जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार सारा धर्म और अर्थ अहिंसाके अन्तर्भूत है। जो किसीकी हिंसा नहीं करता, वह सदा अमृत (जन्म और मृत्युके बन्धनसे मुक्त) होकर निवास करता है

Transliteration

evaṁ sarva-mahiṁsāyāṁ dharmārtham apidhīyate | amṛtaḥ sa nityaṁ vasati yo hiṁsāṁ na prapadyate ||

Translation

Thus, within complete non-violence are comprehended both dharma and artha. He who does not resort to harming any being dwells ever as “deathless”—freed from the bondage of repeated birth and death.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'evaṁ', 'meaning': 'thus

• in this manner'}, {'term': 'sarva-mahiṁsā', 'meaning': 'complete non-violence

• universal harmlessness toward all beings'}, {'term': 'dharma', 'meaning': 'righteous duty

• sustaining order'}, {'term': 'artha', 'meaning': 'worldly good

• purpose'}, {'term': 'apidhīyate', 'meaning': 'is enclosed/contained

• is subsumed'}, {'term': 'amṛtaḥ', 'meaning': 'deathless

• liberated from mortality'}, {'term': 'nityam', 'meaning': 'always

• perpetually'}, {'term': 'vasati', 'meaning': 'dwells

• abides'}, {'term': 'hiṁsā', 'meaning': 'injury

• harm to living beings'}, {'term': 'na prapadyate', 'meaning': 'does not resort to

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ahimsa (non-violence) is presented as the comprehensive foundation in which both dharma (righteousness) and artha (welfare/prosperity) are contained; one who does not resort to harming beings attains an ‘amṛta’ state—freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct after the war, Vyāsa states a doctrinal conclusion: the practice of complete non-violence subsumes other aims of life and leads to enduring spiritual freedom.