Shloka 15
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
अपस्ृत्याप्रतिश्रुत्य प्रजासंहरणं तदा । त्वरमाणेव राजेन्द्र मृत्युर्थेनुकम भ्यगात्
apasṛtyāpratiśrutya prajāsaṁharaṇaṁ tadā | tvaramāṇeva rājendra mṛtyur thenukam abhyagāt ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai raja, saat itu tanpa mengikrarkan janji apa pun tentang pemusnahan rakyat, Maut pun beranjak dari sana; dan dengan tergesa-gesa ia tiba di pertapaan Dhenuka.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint: even when destruction is possible, one should not bind oneself by a vow to indiscriminate harm to the people (prajā). The implication aligns with rājadharma—subjects are to be protected, and violence must be governed by principle rather than haste or blanket commitment.
Bhīṣma narrates that Death, without making any promise to carry out the destruction of the populace, withdraws from the scene and hurriedly proceeds to the hermitage associated with Dhenuka.