Shloka 30
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
इममन्यं च ते काम॑ ददानि मनसेप्सितम् । न त्वां दोषेण यास्यन्ति व्याधिसम्पीडिता: प्रजा:
imam anyaṁ ca te kāmaṁ dadāni manasepsitam | na tvāṁ doṣeṇa yāsyanti vyādhi-sampīḍitāḥ prajāḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Aku menganugerahkan kepadamu satu anugerah lagi yang diidamkan hatimu: rakyat, sekalipun tertindih dan tersiksa oleh penyakit, tidak akan menyalahkanmu.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler or protected person should not become a target of public blame for unavoidable suffering (like disease), and dharma sometimes requires adaptive conduct—assuming an appropriate social role—to preserve harmony and prevent needless conflict.
Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) grants an additional boon: even if the populace is distressed by illness, they will not accuse the recipient of wrongdoing; further, the recipient is empowered to take on the fitting form/role among men, women, or neuters, enabling life without social reproach.