Shloka 26
सूक्ष्मभूत-भूतात्मविज्ञानम्
Knowing the subtle principle and the bhūtātman through yoga
दान॑ हि भूताभयदक्षिणाया: सर्वाणि दानान्यधितिष्ठतीह । तीक्ष्णां तनुं यः प्रथमं जहाति सो5<नन्त्यमाप्रोत्य भयं प्रजाभ्य:
dānaṃ hi bhūtābhayadakṣiṇāyāḥ sarvāṇi dānāny adhitiṣṭhatīha | tīkṣṇāṃ tanūṃ yaḥ prathamaṃ jahāti so 'nantyam āpnoty abhayaṃ prajābhyaḥ ||
Vyāsa dijo: En este mundo, el don cuya “retribución” es la ausencia de temor para los seres vivientes está por encima de todos los demás dones. Quien primero abandona el acto de violencia, de cuerpo afilado, alcanza el estado sin fin (la liberación), quedando libre de miedo frente a todas las criaturas.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Granting fearlessness to living beings—by renouncing violence and protecting life—is presented as the highest form of charity, surpassing all other gifts, and it leads toward liberation (the ‘endless’ state).
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa states a moral hierarchy of gifts: the supreme ‘dāna’ is to make beings safe. He links this directly to ahimsa, saying that one who gives up violence first becomes fearless toward all creatures and attains moksha.