अति यज्ञविदां लोकान् क्षमिण: प्राप्तुवन्ति च । अति ब्रह्मविदां लोकानति चापि तपस्विनाम्,क्षमाशील मनुष्य यजवेत्ता, ब्रह्मवेत्ता और तपस्वी पुरुषोंसे भी ऊँचे लोक प्राप्त करते हैं
ati yajñavidāṁ lokān kṣamiṇaḥ prāpnuvanti ca | ati brahmavidāṁ lokān ati cāpi tapasvinām ||
Mereka yang pemaaf meraih alam-alam yang lebih tinggi daripada alam para ahli yajña; lebih tinggi daripada alam para jñānī Brahman; dan bahkan lebih tinggi daripada alam para tapasvin.
युधिछिर उवाच
Forgiveness (kṣamā) is presented as a supreme dharmic virtue whose spiritual fruit surpasses that of ritual mastery (yajña), metaphysical knowledge (brahmajñāna), and austerity (tapas).
In the Vana Parva’s ethical discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a hierarchy of values, asserting that inner moral excellence—especially forgiveness—outweighs external religious performance and even severe ascetic practice.