Shloka 19

सूक्ष्मभूत-भूतात्मविज्ञानम्

Knowing the subtle principle and the bhūtātman through yoga

Devanagari script

एवं सर्वमहिंसायां धर्मार्थमपिधीयते । अमृत: स नित्यं वसति यो हिंसां न प्रपद्यते

Transliteration

evaṁ sarva-mahiṁsāyāṁ dharmārtham apidhīyate | amṛtaḥ sa nityaṁ vasati yo hiṁsāṁ na prapadyate ||

Translation

Ainsi, dans la non-violence parfaite (ahiṃsā) se trouvent compris à la fois le dharma et l’artha. Celui qui ne se résout jamais à nuire à aucun être demeure à jamais comme « immortel » — délivré du lien des naissances et des morts répétées.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'evaṁ', 'meaning': 'thus

• in this manner'}, {'term': 'sarva-mahiṁsā', 'meaning': 'complete non-violence

• universal harmlessness toward all beings'}, {'term': 'dharma', 'meaning': 'righteous duty

• sustaining order'}, {'term': 'artha', 'meaning': 'worldly good

• purpose'}, {'term': 'apidhīyate', 'meaning': 'is enclosed/contained

• is subsumed'}, {'term': 'amṛtaḥ', 'meaning': 'deathless

• liberated from mortality'}, {'term': 'nityam', 'meaning': 'always

• perpetually'}, {'term': 'vasati', 'meaning': 'dwells

• abides'}, {'term': 'hiṁsā', 'meaning': 'injury

• harm to living beings'}, {'term': 'na prapadyate', 'meaning': 'does not resort to

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ahimsa (non-violence) is presented as the comprehensive foundation in which both dharma (righteousness) and artha (welfare/prosperity) are contained; one who does not resort to harming beings attains an ‘amṛta’ state—freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct after the war, Vyāsa states a doctrinal conclusion: the practice of complete non-violence subsumes other aims of life and leads to enduring spiritual freedom.