Shloka 5
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
यो ददाति सहस्त्राणि गवामश्चशतानि च । अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्य: सदा तमभिवर्तते
yo dadāti sahasrāṇi gavām aścaśatāni ca | abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyaḥ sadā tam abhivartate ||
Parāśara said: “Even if a person gives away thousands of cows and hundreds of horses, the gift that truly and unfailingly ‘returns’ to him is this: granting fearlessness to all beings—living in such a way that none are harmed or threatened by him.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material gifts like cows and horses are praised, but the highest and most enduring gift is ‘abhaya’—ensuring that all beings are safe from one’s harm. This frames non-violence and protection as a superior form of charity whose merit continually returns to the giver.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Parāśara instructs on ethical conduct and the hierarchy of gifts. He contrasts lavish donations with the moral act of granting universal safety, emphasizing inner restraint and harmlessness as the most fruitful offering.