Shloka 2
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
समस्तमिह तच्छुत्वा सम्यगेवावधार्यताम् | अहिंसा सर्वभूतानामेतत् कृत्यतमं मतम्
samastam iha tac chrutvā samyag evāvadhāryatām | ahiṃsā sarvabhūtānām etat kṛtyatamaṃ matam ||
Having heard all this here, let it be grasped correctly and held firmly in mind: non-violence toward all beings is regarded as the most imperative duty. In this instruction, Vāyu frames ethical discernment not as mere listening but as careful internalization, culminating in ahiṃsā as the highest practical obligation.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ahiṃsā—non-violence toward all beings—is the most imperative duty, and that ethical instruction must be properly understood and firmly internalized, not merely heard.
Vāyudeva is delivering a didactic statement, urging the listener(s) to carefully comprehend the preceding teaching and concluding with a decisive ethical summary: ahiṃsā is paramount.