Shloka 11
अध्याय ३३७ — ज्ञानमार्ग-वैविध्यप्रश्नः तथा व्यासस्य नारायणोद्भवकथा
Systems of Knowledge and Vyāsa’s Nārāyaṇa-Origin
अहिंस्न: शुचिरक्षुद्रो निराशी: कर्मसंस्तुत: । आरण्यकपदोदभूता भागास्तत्रोपकल्पिता:,वे हिंसाभावसे रहित, पवित्र, उदार तथा कामनाओंसे रहित थे और इसी भावसे कर्ममें प्रवृत्त हुए थे। जंगलमें उत्पन्न हुए फल-मूल आदि पदार्थोंसे ही उस यज्ञमें देवताओंके भाग निश्चित किये गये थे
ahiṃsnaḥ śucir akṣudro nirāśīḥ karmasaṃstutaḥ | āraṇyakapadodbhūtā bhāgās tatropakalpitāḥ ||
Bhishma said: They were free from violence, pure, and generous in spirit; without personal craving, they engaged in action in a spirit worthy of praise. In that sacrifice, the portions due to the gods were arranged from forest-born offerings—fruits, roots, and the like—showing a dharmic ritual grounded in non-injury and simplicity rather than in harm or excess.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharmic action is marked by non-violence, purity, and freedom from selfish desire; even ritual can be aligned with ethics by using harmless, simple offerings and right intention.
Bhishma describes a form of sacrifice in which the participants are non-violent and desireless, and the gods’ allotted portions are prepared from forest produce (fruits and roots), emphasizing an austere, ethically restrained ritual practice.