Shloka 17

नारद–असित (देवल) संवादः — भूतप्रभवाप्यय, इन्द्रिय-गुण-विवेक, क्षेत्रज्ञ-तत्त्व

Devanagari script

यद्य॒त्र किंचित्‌ प्रत्यक्षमहिंसाया: परं मतम्‌ । ऋते त्वागमशास्त्रेभ्यो ब्रूहि तद्‌ यदि पश्यसि,वेदों और तदनुकूल आगमोंको छोड़कर अन्यत्र अहिंसासे भिन्न हिंसाबोधक शास्त्रका कोई फल यदि युक्तिसे भी प्रत्यक्ष दिखायी देनेवाला प्रतीत होता हो अथवा तुम अनुभवमें उसका साक्षात्कार कर रहे हो तो उसे स्पष्ट बताओ

Transliteration

yady atra kiñcit pratyakṣam ahiṁsāyāḥ paraṁ matam | ṛte tv āgamaśāstrebhyo brūhi tad yadi paśyasi ||

Translation

カピラは言った。「聖典の伝承を離れて、アヒンサー（不殺生・非暴力）を超えると直に明らかな教えを汝が見出すのか。あるいは、暴力を勧める教えが約束する何らかの確かな果報を、理と経験によって示し得るのか。真に見ているなら、明白に語れ。」

Word by Word

• {'yadi': 'if', 'atra': 'here

• in this matter', 'kiñcit': 'anything

• any (even a little)', 'pratyakṣam': 'directly perceived

• evident to experience', 'ahiṁsāyāḥ': 'of non-violence', 'param': 'higher

• beyond', 'matam': 'view

• considered opinion', 'ṛte': 'except

• apart from', 'tu': 'but

• indeed (emphatic particle)', 'āgamaśāstrebhyaḥ': 'from the āgamas and śāstras

• from scriptural authorities', 'brūhi': 'tell

• declare', 'tat': 'that', 'paśyasi': 'you see

Speaker

कपिल उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Kapila

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Non-violence is presented as the highest ethical standard; any claim that violence yields a superior good must be demonstrated through direct experience and sound reasoning, not merely asserted on the basis of scriptural citation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kapila is debating a moral and philosophical point: he challenges the other party to produce any observable, verifiable benefit of violence (or any doctrine higher than ahiṁsā) independent of appeals to āgama and śāstra, thereby pressing for experiential proof in ethical argument.