Shloka 5
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
यदा चायं न बिभेति यदा चास्मान्न बिभ्यति | यदा नेच्छति न देष्टि ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा
yadā cāyaṃ na bibheti yadā cāsmān na bibhyati | yadā necchati na deṣṭi brahma sampadyate tadā ||
Vyāsa said: When a person no longer fears other living beings, and other beings likewise do not fear him; and when he has completely abandoned both craving and aversion—then, at that very time, he attains the state of Brahman. The verse presents fearlessness and harmlessness, grounded in inner freedom from desire and hatred, as the ethical mark of spiritual realization.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Brahman-realization is indicated by a transformed ethical presence: one becomes harmless and fearless—neither fearing others nor causing fear—and one has relinquished both desire (icchā) and hatred/aversion (dveṣa). Inner freedom expresses itself outwardly as non-threatening conduct.
In the instruction-oriented setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a criterion of spiritual attainment: the realized person is free from reactive emotions that generate conflict—fear, craving, and hatred—and thus lives in a way that brings safety to others and reflects inner liberation.