Shloka 26

सूक्ष्मभूत-भूतात्मविज्ञानम्

Knowing the subtle principle and the bhūtātman through yoga

Devanagari script

दान॑ हि भूताभयदक्षिणाया: सर्वाणि दानान्यधितिष्ठतीह । तीक्ष्णां तनुं यः प्रथमं जहाति सो5<नन्त्यमाप्रोत्य भयं प्रजाभ्य:,इस जगतमें जीवोंको अभयकी दक्षिणा देना सब दानोंसे बढ़कर है। जो पहलेसे ही हिंसाका त्याग कर देता है, वह सब प्राणियोंसे निर्भय होकर मोक्ष प्राप्त कर लेता है

Transliteration

dānaṃ hi bhūtābhayadakṣiṇāyāḥ sarvāṇi dānāny adhitiṣṭhatīha | tīkṣṇāṃ tanūṃ yaḥ prathamaṃ jahāti so 'nantyam āpnoty abhayaṃ prajābhyaḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: In this world, the gift whose ‘fee’ is fearlessness for living beings stands above all other gifts. One who first abandons the sharp-bodied act of violence attains the endless state (liberation), becoming free from fear in relation to all creatures.

Word by Word

दानम्gift, giving

हिindeed, for

भूताभयदक्षिणायाःof the gift-fee (dakṣiṇā) of fearlessness to beings

सर्वाणिall

दानानिgifts, acts of giving

अधितिष्ठतिsurpasses, stands over, presides over

इहhere (in this world)

तीक्ष्णाम्sharp, fierce

तनुम्body

यःwho

प्रथमम्first, at the outset

जहातिabandons, gives up

सःhe

अनन्त्यम्endlessness; the infinite state (mokṣa)

आप्नोतिattains

भयम्fear

प्रजाभ्यःfrom creatures/subjects

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

bhūta (living beings/creatures)

prajā (creatures/subjects)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Granting fearlessness to living beings—by renouncing violence and protecting life—is presented as the highest form of charity, surpassing all other gifts, and it leads toward liberation (the ‘endless’ state).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a moral hierarchy of gifts: the supreme ‘dāna’ is to make beings safe. He links this directly to ahimsa, saying that one who gives up violence first becomes fearless toward all creatures and attains moksha.