Shloka 30
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
सर्वयज्ञेषु वा दानं॑ सर्वतीर्थेषु वा55प्लुतम् । सर्वदानफलं वापि नैतत्तुल्यमहिंसया
sarvayajñeṣu vā dānaṁ sarvatīrtheṣu vā plutam | sarvadānaphalaṁ vāpi naitat tulyam ahiṁsayā ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: Ni la caridad ofrecida en todos los sacrificios, ni el baño en todos los tīrtha (vados sagrados), ni el fruto acumulado de toda clase de dádivas—todo ello junto—puede igualar el mérito de la ahiṃsā, la no violencia.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ahimsa (non-violence) is presented as superior to the combined religious merit of sacrifices, pilgrimages, and all forms of charity; ethical restraint from harming beings outweighs external ritual and pious acts.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma; here he emphasizes a hierarchy of virtues, declaring that the merit of non-violence surpasses the fruits of yajña, tīrtha-bathing, and dāna.