Shloka 23
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
अहिंसा परमो धर्मस्तथाहिंसा परं तप: । अहिंसा परम सत्यं यतो धर्म: प्रवर्तते,अहिंसा परम धर्म है, अहिंसा परम तप है और अहिंसा परम सत्य है; क्योंकि उसीसे धर्मकी प्रवृत्ति होती है
ahiṃsā paramo dharmas tathāhiṃsā paraṃ tapaḥ | ahiṃsā parama satyaṃ yato dharmaḥ pravartate ||
Bhishma berkata: “Ahiṃsā (tidak melakukan kekerasan) ialah dharma yang tertinggi; ahiṃsā juga ialah tapa (pertapaan/pengekangan diri) yang tertinggi. Ahiṃsā ialah kebenaran yang tertinggi, kerana daripadanyalah dharma bergerak dan berkembang.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ahiṃsā (non-violence) is declared the supreme foundation of ethical life: it is the highest dharma, the highest tapas (self-discipline), and the highest satya (truth). The verse asserts that dharma genuinely operates and grows only when rooted in non-injury.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma, speaking as a teacher of dharma, delivers concise maxims to guide conduct. Here he emphasizes ahiṃsā as the central principle underlying other virtues and the functioning of dharma itself.