अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
स्निग्वैश्व क्रियमाणानि कर्माणीह निवर्तयेत् । हिंसात्मकानि सर्वाणि नायुरिच्छेत् परायुषा
snigdhaiś ca kriyamāṇāni karmāṇīha nivartayet | hiṁsātmakāni sarvāṇi nāyur icchet parāyuṣā ||
Seseorang hendaknya menahan orang-orang yang dicintainya bila karena kasih mereka melakukan perbuatan yang bersifat kekerasan demi dirinya. Ia tidak boleh menginginkan memperpanjang hidupnya dengan mengorbankan umur orang lain—yakni menyelamatkan diri dengan mengambil nyawa orang lain.
पराशर उवाच
One must not permit violence even when it is performed by loved ones out of attachment, and one must not seek one’s own survival or longevity through harming or killing others; preserving one’s life at another’s expense is adharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, the sage Parāśara delivers an ethical directive: restrain violent deeds undertaken on one’s behalf and reject the idea of extending one’s life by taking another’s life.