Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 27 Shloka 1 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 1

Gaṅgā-māhātmya: Siddha–Śilavṛtti-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-stava (गङ्गामाहात्म्यं—सिद्ध-शिलवृत्ति-संवादः)

Devanagari script

(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके ८३ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल १११३ “लोक हैं) न२्च्स्स्््तसािस्सि (9) ४२ >>

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | idaṃ me tattvato rājan vaktum arhasi bhārata | ahiṃsayitvāpi kathaṃ brahmahatyā vidhīyate ||

Translation

ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ ຜູ້ສືບສາຍພາຣະຕະ! ຂໍພຣະອົງອະທິບາຍໃຫ້ຂ້າຟັງຕາມຄວາມເປັນຈິງ: ເມື່ອບໍ່ໄດ້ກະທໍາຄວາມຮຸນແຮງ ແລ້ວບາບທີ່ເອີ້ນວ່າ “ພຣະຫມະຫັດຍາ” (ບາບຫນັກດັ່ງການຂ້າພຣາຫມະນ) ຈະເກີດຂຶ້ນໄດ້ແນວໃດ?»

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

इदम्this

मेto me / for me

तत्त्वतःin truth; accurately

राजन्O king

वक्तुम्to tell; to explain

अर्हसिyou ought / you are able

भारतO Bhārata (descendant of Bharata)

अहिंसयित्वाhaving not harmed; without killing

अपिeven; although

कथम्how?

ब्रह्महत्याbrahmin-slaying (the sin of killing a Brahmin)

विधीयतेis enjoined / is incurred / is assigned

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhārata (addressee: the king, i.e., Bhīṣma in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a dharma inquiry: moral guilt (here, brahmahatyā) is not limited to direct physical killing; Yudhiṣṭhira asks how grave sin can be attributed even when overt violence is absent, opening discussion on indirect agency, intention, complicity, and dharma-defined responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the elder authority (Bhīṣma) and requests a precise explanation about the conditions under which brahmahatyā is considered to arise, even for someone who has not personally committed harm.