Shloka 15
न ताडयति नो हन्ति प्राणिनो ऽन्यांश् च देहिनः यो मनुष्यो मनुष्येन्द्र तोष्यते तेन केशवः
na tāḍayati no hanti prāṇino 'nyāṃś ca dehinaḥ yo manuṣyo manuṣyendra toṣyate tena keśavaḥ
O best of men, the human who neither strikes nor kills living beings, nor harms other embodied creatures—by such a one Keśava is truly pleased.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Qualities and conduct by which Viṣṇu (Keśava) is pleased; dharma as worship
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Ahiṃsā—refraining from striking, killing, or harming embodied beings—is itself a mode of pleasing Keśava.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice non-violence in speech and action (including avoiding cruelty and needless harm) as daily bhagavad-ārādhanā.
Vishishtadvaita: Ethical duties toward embodied selves are service to the Lord who is the inner ruler of all beings.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse presents non-violence—refraining from striking or killing any living being—as conduct that directly pleases Keśava, making ahiṃsā a primary expression of dharma.
In Parāśara’s instruction, devotion is shown through restraint and compassion toward all embodied beings; ethical non-harm becomes a practical, everyday way of honoring Vishnu.
Vishnu is depicted as the supreme moral sovereign whose satisfaction is tied to universal compassion, implying that true religiosity aligns one’s actions with his dharmic order.