Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 226
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
एतैश्व सह धर्मोडपि तं जीवमनुगच्छति । दिन और रात भी इस जगतके सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके कर्मोंके साक्षी हैं। इन सबके साथ धर्म भी जीवका अनुसरण करता है
etaiś ca saha dharmo 'pi taṃ jīvam anugacchati | dinaṃ ca rātriṃ ca jagataḥ samasta-prāṇināṃ karmāṇāṃ sākṣiṇī bhavataḥ | ebhiḥ sarvaiḥ saha dharmo 'pi jīvasya anugamanaṃ karoti |
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Junto con éstos, también el Dharma sigue al ser viviente». El día y la noche son testigos de los actos de todas las criaturas en este mundo. En compañía de todos esos testigos, el Dharma continúa acompañando al alma; así, ninguna acción queda verdaderamente sin testimonio ni sin consecuencia.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
No deed is truly hidden: day and night are constant witnesses, and Dharma itself accompanies the living being. Therefore one should act with moral awareness, knowing that actions carry ethical consequence.
Yudhiṣṭhira is articulating a moral principle within the Anuśāsana-parvan’s instruction on righteous conduct: the world itself (through time—day and night) bears witness to actions, and Dharma follows the jīva, ensuring accountability.