Shloka 12
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
असहाय: पिता माता तथा भ्राता सुतो गुरु:
asahāyaḥ pitā mātā tathā bhrātā suto guruḥ
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Un père, une mère, de même un frère, un fils et un maître—lorsqu’ils sont laissés sans soutien—deviennent dépendants et vulnérables.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as active support: even the most revered relations—parents, siblings, children, and one’s teacher—can become helpless if neglected. Ethical life therefore includes sustaining and protecting dependents, not merely honoring them in words.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking within the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, drawing attention to the condition of close relations and the guru when they lack assistance, as part of a broader inquiry into duties and proper care.