Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सर्वथा स्त्री न हन्तव्या सर्वसत्त्वेषु केनचित्‌ । नित्य॑तु ब्राह्मणे स्वस्ति योद्धव्यं च तदर्थतः,तुममेंसे कोई भी सभी प्राणियोंके स्त्रीवर्गकी किसी तरह भी हत्या न करे। ब्राह्मणोंके हितका सदा ध्यान रखना। आवश्यकता हो तो उनकी रक्षाके लिये युद्ध भी करना

Transliteration

sarvathā strī na hantavyā sarvasattveṣu kenacit | nityaṁ tu brāhmaṇe svasti yoddhavyaṁ ca tadarthataḥ ||

Translation

കാവ്യാ പറഞ്ഞു—എല്ലാ ജീവികളിലും ആരാലും ഏതൊരു സാഹചര്യത്തിലും സ്ത്രീയെ വധിക്കരുത്. ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ ക്ഷേമം എപ്പോഴും മനസ്സിൽ വെക്കുക; ആവശ്യമെങ്കിൽ അവരുടെ സംരക്ഷണത്തിനായി യുദ്ധവും ചെയ്യുക।

Word by Word

सर्वथाin every way; at all

स्त्रीa woman (women as a class)

नnot

हन्तव्याshould be killed (is to be killed)

सर्वसत्त्वेषुamong all beings

केनचित्by anyone

नित्यम्always

तुbut; indeed

ब्राह्मणेin/with regard to a Brahmin

स्वस्तिwelfare; well-being; safety

योद्धव्यम्one should fight; it is to be fought

चand

तदर्थतःfor that purpose; for his/their sake

Speaker

कायव्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kāvyā

women (striyaḥ)

brāhmaṇas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse lays down two dharmic priorities: (1) an absolute prohibition against killing women, and (2) a standing duty to secure the welfare of brāhmaṇas—so important that, when required, even warfare may be undertaken specifically for their protection.

What is happening in the narrative?

Within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, the speaker Kāvyā articulates a rule of restraint in violence (women are not to be harmed) while also defining a conditional duty of force: fighting becomes legitimate when it is directed toward safeguarding brāhmaṇas and upholding their well-being.