Shloka 14
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
हतं हन्ति हतो होव यो नरो हन्ति कठ्चन । उभौ तौ न विजानीतो यश्न हन्ति हतश्ष यः
hataṃ hanti hato hova yo naro hanti kaścana | ubhau tau na vijānīto yaś ca hanti hataś ca yaḥ ||
ಶಕ್ರನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಯಾವ ನರನು ಯಾರನ್ನಾದರೂ ಕೊಲ್ಲುತ್ತಾನೋ, ಅವನು ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ತಾನೇ ‘ಹತನಾಗಿರುವ’ವನು; ಹತನಾದದ್ದನ್ನೇ ಅವನು ಹೊಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಕೊಲ್ಲುವವನು ಮತ್ತು ಕೊಲ್ಲಲ್ಪಡುವವನು—ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಆತ್ಮವನ್ನು ಅರಿಯರು; ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಆತ್ಮ ಹನನಕ್ರಿಯೆಯ ಕರ್ತೆಯೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಕರ್ಮವೂ ಅಲ್ಲ.
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that violence is rooted in ignorance of the ātman: the Self is not truly killed and is not the true doer of killing. Therefore, both the killer and the killed are described as lacking Self-knowledge, and the ethical thrust is to turn from harm toward insight and restraint.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Śakra (Indra) delivers a reflective teaching that reframes killing through the lens of the imperishable Self, emphasizing that ordinary notions of slayer and slain arise from misunderstanding.