Shloka 18
Viṣṇor Māhātmya and Indriya-saṃyama (विष्णोर्माहात्म्यं तथा इन्द्रियसंयमः)
तस्य तेनानुभावेन मृगहिंसात्मनस्तदा । तपो महत्समुच्छिन्नं तस्माद्धिंसा न यज्ञिया
tasya tenānubhāvena mṛga-hiṃsātmanas tadā | tapo mahatsamucchinnaṃ tasmād dhiṃsā na yajñiyā ||
Nārada said: By the force of that intention, when the brahmin became set on harming a deer—thinking, “By killing this animal I shall attain heaven”—his great austerity was instantly cut off. Therefore, violence is not truly conducive to sacrifice (nor is it sanctioned as a righteous means).
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when justified by a pious-sounding goal (like attaining heaven), the intention to harm living beings undermines spiritual merit; violence is not truly ‘yajñiya’—not a righteous or beneficial means for sacrifice and dharma.
Nārada describes a brahmin who becomes eager to kill a deer, reasoning that the act will lead to heaven; at that very moment, the brahmin’s accumulated tapas is said to be destroyed, and Nārada concludes that violence is not proper for yajña.