Shloka 258

अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः

Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहा भारते शान्तिपर्वणि मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि मृत्युप्रजापतिसंवादे अष्टपञ्चाशदधिकद्वधिशततमो< ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi mokṣadharmaparvaṇi mṛtyuprajāpati-saṃvāde aṣṭapañcāśad-adhika-dviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ | isa prakāra śrīmahābhārata śāntiparva ke antargata mokṣadharmaparva meṃ mṛtyu aura prajāpati kā saṃvāda-viṣayaka do sau aṭṭhāīsvāṃ adhyāya pūrā huā |

Translation

Así, en el «Śrī Mahābhārata», dentro del «Śānti Parva»—en particular, en la sección «Mokṣa-dharma»—concluye aquí el diálogo entre Mṛtyu (la Muerte) y Prajāpati. De este modo, llega a su fin el capítulo doscientos cincuenta y ocho, centrado en la conversación entre la Muerte y el Señor de las criaturas.

Word by Word

• इति: thus; end-quote marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्री: auspiciousness; venerable (honorific)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• महाभारते: in the Mahābhārata
• महाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• शान्तिपर्वणि: in the Śānti-parvan
• शान्तिपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्तिपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि: in the Mokṣa-dharma section
• मोक्षधर्मपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्षधर्मपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• मृत्युप्रजापतिसंवादे: in the dialogue of Mṛtyu and Prajāpati
• मृत्युप्रजापतिसंवादे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु-प्रजापति-संवाद
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अष्टपञ्चाशत्: fifty-eight
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टपञ्चाशत्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• अधिक: additional; exceeding
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• द्विशततमः: two-hundredth
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विशततम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

पितामह उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mṛtyu
• Prajāpati
• Mahābhārata
• Śānti Parva
• Mokṣa-dharma Parva

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This is a colophon marking the completion of a didactic chapter: it frames the teaching as part of Mokṣa-dharma, where reflection on Death (mṛtyu) and cosmic progenitorship (prajāpati) supports ethical clarity and detachment, orienting the listener toward liberation-focused dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The text signals that the dialogue between Mṛtyu and Prajāpati has concluded and formally closes the 258th chapter of the Mokṣa-dharma section within the Śānti Parva.