Shloka 32

Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya

Devanagari script

एतत्‌ फलमहिंसाया भूयश्नच कुरुपुंगव । न हि शक्‍्या गुणा वक्तुमपि वर्षशतैरपि,कुरुश्रेष्ठ! यह अहिंसाका फल है। यही क्या, अहिंसाका तो इससे भी अधिक फल है। अहिंसासे होनेवाले लाभोंका सौ वर्षो्में भी वर्णन नहीं किया जा सकता

Transliteration

etat phalam ahiṃsāyā bhūyaś ca kuru-puṅgava | na hi śakyā guṇā vaktum api varṣa-śatair api, kuru-śreṣṭha ||

Translation

Bhīṣma bersabda: “Inilah buah ahiṃsā—dan bahkan lebih daripada ini lagi, wahai banteng di antara kaum Kuru. Sesungguhnya, wahai yang terbaik di antara Kuru, kebajikan dan manfaat yang lahir daripada ahiṃsā tidak mungkin dihuraikan sepenuhnya walau dalam seratus tahun.”

Word by Word

एतत्this

फलम्fruit, result

अहिंसायाof non-violence

भूयःmore, further

चand

कुरुपुंगवO bull among the Kurus (best of the Kurus)

नnot

हिindeed, for

शक्याःpossible (able to be)

गुणाःqualities, merits

वक्तुम्to speak, to describe

अपिeven, also

वर्षशतैःby hundreds of years (even in a hundred years)

अपिeven

कुरुश्रेष्ठO best of the Kurus

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Kuru (dynasty/lineage)

Kuru-pungava (address to a Kuru prince, likely Yudhishthira)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Ahiṃsā (non-violence) yields immense spiritual and ethical merit; its benefits are so vast that they cannot be exhaustively articulated, even over an entire century.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising a Kuru ruler (traditionally Yudhishthira), emphasizing the supreme value of non-violence and praising its immeasurable rewards.