Shloka 112
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
अश्त्र॑ पुरुषं हत्वा सशस्त्र: पुरुषाधम: । अर्थार्थी यदि वा वैरी स मृतो जायते खर:
aśastraṃ puruṣaṃ hatvā saśastraḥ puruṣādhamaḥ | arthārthī yadi vā vairī sa mṛto jāyate kharaḥ ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Quien, estando armado, mata a un hombre desarmado es el más vil de los hombres. Ya sea por codicia de ganancia o por enemistad, al morir renace como un asno».
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns the act of an armed person killing an unarmed person as a grave adharma. Motive—profit or enmity—does not excuse it; such violence is portrayed as leading to a degrading rebirth, underscoring accountability through karma.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral-legal principle about righteous conduct, especially relevant to warfare and power: protect the defenseless and do not exploit superiority of arms; violation brings severe moral and karmic consequence.