Shloka 29
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
अहिंसा परम धर्म है, अहिंसा परम संयम है, अहिंसा परम दान है और अहिंसा परम तपस्या है ।।
ahiṃsā paramo dharmaḥ, ahiṃsā paramaḥ saṃyamaḥ, ahiṃsā paramaṃ dānam, ahiṃsā paramā tapasyā. ahiṃsā paramo yajñas tathāhiṃsā paraṃ phalam | ahiṃsā paramaṃ mitram ahiṃsā paramaṃ sukham ||
Bhīṣma déclare : L’ahiṃsā est le plus haut dharma et la discipline suprême de la maîtrise de soi. C’est le plus grand don et l’austérité la plus élevée. L’ahiṃsā est le sacrifice (yajña) par excellence et aussi la plus grande récompense ; elle est le meilleur ami et le bonheur suprême.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ahiṃsā (non-violence) is presented as the supreme value that encompasses and surpasses other virtues: it is the highest dharma, the deepest self-restraint, the greatest charity, the truest austerity, the best sacrifice, and the surest source of reward, friendship, and happiness.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma from his bed of arrows. Here he emphasizes a foundational ethical principle—ahiṃsā—as the guiding standard for righteous conduct and spiritual merit.