Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 14
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
क्षतं च स्खलितं चैव पतितं कृष्टमाहतम् । सर्वभूतानि रक्षन्ति समेषु विषमेषु च
kṣataṃ ca skhalitaṃ caiva patitaṃ kṛṣṭam āhatam | sarvabhūtāni rakṣanti sameṣu viṣameṣu ca ||
ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਜੋ ਜਖ਼ਮੀ ਹੋਵੇ, ਡਗਮਗਾਉਂਦਾ ਹੋਵੇ, ਡਿੱਗ ਪਿਆ ਹੋਵੇ, ਧਾਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਘਸੀਟਿਆ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੋਵੇ, ਮਾਰਿਆ-ਕੁੱਟਿਆ ਹੋਵੇ—ਅਥਵਾ ਸੁਖਦਾਇਕ ਜਾਂ ਸੰਕਟਮਈ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਹਾਲਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਿਆ ਹੋਵੇ—ਉਸ ਦੀ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਸਭ ਜੀਵ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The helpless—wounded, fallen, or endangered—deserve protection; compassion and safeguarding the vulnerable is presented as a universal dharmic principle applicable in both favorable and adverse circumstances.
Bhishma, in his instruction on dharma, states a general moral observation: when someone is hurt or in danger, the natural and righteous response of beings is to protect them, emphasizing duty of care regardless of the situation.