Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
ध्तराष्ट्र रवाच ये सर्वभूतेषु निवृत्तकामा अमांसादा न्यस्तदण्डाशक्षरन्ति । न हिंसन्ति स्थावरं जड़म॑ च भूतानां ये सर्वभूतात्म भूता:
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | ye sarvabhūteṣu nivṛttakāmā amāṃsādā nyastadaṇḍāḥ kṣaranti | na hiṃsanti sthāvaraṃ jaṅgamaṃ ca bhūtānāṃ ye sarvabhūtātmabhūtāḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Wahai resi agung, mereka yang telah menarik kembali hasrat terhadap semua makhluk, yang tidak memakan daging, yang telah meletakkan tongkat hukuman, yang tidak menyakiti makhluk yang diam maupun yang bergerak, dan yang memandang semua makhluk sebagai Diri (Ātman) sendiri—merekalah yang layak bagi alam suci bernama ‘Uttara Kuru’.”
गौतम उवाच
The verse praises a dharmic ideal centered on ahiṃsā and inner renunciation: freedom from desire, abstention from meat, refusal to punish or injure, and the spiritual vision that all beings are one’s own Self. Such conduct is presented as the qualification for attaining a higher, blessed realm (Uttara Kuru).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses the sage Gautama, describing the qualities of people who are eligible for the exalted region called Uttara Kuru—those who are desireless and non-violent toward all life.