Shloka 45
Adhyāya 208: Aṅgirasī-kanyāḥ
Enumeration of Aṅgiras’ daughters and attribute-names
न पापे प्रतिपाप: स्यात् साधुरेव सदा भवेत् | आत्मनैव हतः पापो य: पापं कर्तुमिच्छति,यदि कोई अपने साथ बुरा बर्ताव करे तो स्वयं भी बदलेमें उसके साथ बुराई न करे। सबके साथ सदा सद्व्यवहार ही करे। जो पापी दूसरोंका अहित करना चाहता है वह स्वयं ही नष्ट हो जाता है
na pāpe pratipāpaḥ syāt sādhur eva sadā bhavet | ātmanā eva hataḥ pāpo yaḥ pāpaṁ kartum icchati ||
Do not answer sin with counter-sin; let the good remain ever virtuous. Whoever longs to do wrong and harm others is, in truth, destroyed by his own evil intent and deed.
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not respond to wrongdoing with retaliatory wrongdoing; maintain virtuous conduct. Evil rebounds on the evildoer—one who wishes to harm others ultimately destroys himself through his own sin.
In the Vyādha’s instruction (often called the ‘Vyādha-gītā’ section of Vana Parva), the hunter teaches a seeker about dharma, emphasizing restraint, moral consistency, and the futility of revenge.