Shloka 233
Ahiṃsā as Threefold Restraint (Mind–Speech–Action) and the Ethics of Consumption
शरीर वर्जयन्त्येते जीवितेन विवर्जितम् | महामते! त्वचा
śarīraṁ varjayanty ete jīvitena vivarjitam | mahāmate! tvacāsthi-māṁsa-śukra-śoṇitāni—etāḥ sarvā dhātavaḥ niṣprāṇa-śarīraṁ parityajanti; arthāt te śarīra-dhāriṇaṁ jīvātmānaṁ saha jahati; ekaḥ dharma eva tasya saha gacchati |
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Quando a vida parte, esses constituintes abandonam o corpo.” Ó grande de mente! Pele, osso, carne, sêmen e sangue—todos esses elementos do corpo deixam a estrutura sem vida; isto é, deixam para trás o ser encarnado. Somente o dharma vai com a pessoa.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
All physical constituents fall away at death; only one’s dharma—one’s moral conduct and righteous merit—accompanies the person beyond the body. The verse urges ethical living grounded in lasting values rather than attachment to the perishable body.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a reflective point about death: the body’s tissues and fluids do not remain with the self, emphasizing that the enduring companion is dharma alone.