Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अहिंसा सर्वधर्माणामिति वृद्धानुशासनम्‌ | यदिहिंस्रं भवेत्‌ कर्म तत्‌ कार्यमिति विद्यहे,वृद्ध पुरुषोंका यह उपदेश है कि अहिंसा सब धर्मामें श्रेष्ठ है, जो कार्य हिंसासे रहित हो वही करने योग्य है, यही हमारा मत है

Transliteration

ahiṃsā sarvadharmāṇām iti vṛddhānuśāsanam | yad ahiṃsraṃ bhavet karma tat kāryam iti vidmahe ||

Translation

Dijo el brahmán: «Ésta es la enseñanza transmitida por los ancianos: la no violencia es lo primero entre todas las formas de dharma. Por ello sostenemos que sólo la acción libre de violencia es, en verdad, digna de realizarse».

Word by Word

अहिंसाnon-violence

सर्वधर्माणाम्of all dharmas

इतिthus/so (quotative)

वृद्धानुशासनम्instruction/teaching of the elders

यत्that which

अहिंस्रम्non-violent, harmless

भवेत्may be / should be

कर्मact, deed

तत्that (act)

कार्यम्to be done, fit to be done

इतिthus (quotative)

विद्महेwe know/hold (as an opinion)

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

ब्राह्मण (Brahmin speaker)

व

वृद्ध (elders)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ahimsa (non-violence) is presented as the highest principle among all dharmas; therefore, actions should be chosen and performed only insofar as they are non-injurious.

What is happening in the narrative?

A Brahmin speaker cites the authoritative counsel of elders to argue for an ethical standard: the right course of action is the one that avoids violence, framing the discussion around dharma and proper conduct.