Shloka 2
Nirmaryāda-saṃgrāma-varṇana — The Unbounded Clash and Bhīṣma’s Rallying Presence
अहिंसा: सत्यमक्रोधस्त्याग:: शान्तिरपैशुनम्र । दयाएँ भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्व॑ मार्दव॑* हवीरचापलम्:,मन, वाणी और शरीरसे किसी प्रकार भी किसीको कष्ट न देना, यथार्थ और प्रिय भाषण, अपना अपकार करनेवालेपर भी क्रोधका न होना, कर्मोमें कर्तापनके अभिमानका त्याग, अन्तःकरणकी उपरति अर्थात् चित्तकी चंचलताका अभाव, किसीकी भी निन्दादि न करना, सब भूतप्राणियोंमें हेतुरहित दया, इन्द्रियोंका विषयोंके साथ संयोग होनेपर भी उनमें आसक्तिका न होना, कोमलता, लोक और शास्त्रसे विरुद्ध आचरणमें लज्जा और व्यर्थ चेष्टाओंका अभाव
arjuna uvāca | ahiṃsā satyam akrodhas tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam | dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīr acāpalam ||
Arjuna said: Non-violence; truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation; inner peace; abstaining from slander; compassion toward all living beings; non-greed (not being drawn into sense-objects even when contact occurs); gentleness; a sense of moral shame at what is contrary to right conduct and scripture; and steadiness without fickle, purposeless activity—these are the marks of ethical discipline that restrain harm and cultivate a dharmic character.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse enumerates foundational dharmic virtues—non-harm, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation, inner peace, non-slander, compassion, non-greed, gentleness, moral conscience, and steadiness—presenting an ethical profile that governs body, speech, and mind.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s instructional context, Arjuna voices a compact catalogue of virtues, framing the moral discipline expected of a righteous person even amid the pressures surrounding the Kurukṣetra war.