Shloka 3
यज्ञेऽहिंसा-प्राधान्यम्
Primacy of Non-Harm in Sacrificial Ethics
स्वस्ति गोभ्यो<स्तु लोकेषु ततो निर्वचनं कृतम् । हिंसायां हि प्रवृत्तायामाशीरेषा तु कल्पिता
svasti gobhyo 'stu lokeṣu tato nirvacanaṃ kṛtam | hiṃsāyāṃ hi pravṛttāyām āśīr eṣā tu kalpitā |
"May there be well-being for the cows in all the worlds." Having said this, the declaration was made. For when violence was about to commence, this benediction was intentionally framed—invoking the welfare of cows while at the same time restraining and censuring the impending act of harm.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when violence is imminent, dharma urges restraint: auspicious speech and explicit concern for the welfare of innocents—here symbolized by cows—functions as a moral check against harm (hiṃsā) and a reminder of protective duty.
Bhīṣma explains that a traditional blessing—"May there be welfare for the cows in all the worlds"—was deliberately uttered at the moment violence was about to begin, both as a benediction for cows and as a verbal discouragement or prohibition of the impending act of injury.