Shloka 30
अहिंसा-प्रधान धर्मविचारः
Ahiṃsā as the Superior Dharma: Practical and Scriptural Reasoning
इममन्यं च ते काम॑ ददानि मनसेप्सितम् । न त्वां दोषेण यास्यन्ति व्याधिसम्पीडिता: प्रजा:,“मैं तुम्हें यह दूसरा भी मनोवाजञ्छित वर दे रहा हूँ कि रोगोंसे पीड़ित हुई प्रजा तुम्हारे प्रति दोष-दृष्टि नहीं करेगी। तुम पुरुषोंमें पुरुषरूपसे रहोगी, स्त्रियोंमें स्त्रीरूप धारण कर लोगी और नपुंसकोमें नपुंसक हो जाओगी”
imam anyaṁ ca te kāmaṁ dadāni manasepsitam | na tvāṁ doṣeṇa yāsyanti vyādhi-sampīḍitāḥ prajāḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Concedo-te ainda outra dádiva, desejada pelo teu coração: o povo, mesmo quando aflito e oprimido pela doença, não te atribuirá culpa. Poderás assumir a forma apropriada a cada condição—macho entre os machos, fêmea entre as fêmeas e neutro entre os neutros—para viver sem censura e sem causar desordem social.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler or protected person should not become a target of public blame for unavoidable suffering (like disease), and dharma sometimes requires adaptive conduct—assuming an appropriate social role—to preserve harmony and prevent needless conflict.
Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) grants an additional boon: even if the populace is distressed by illness, they will not accuse the recipient of wrongdoing; further, the recipient is empowered to take on the fitting form/role among men, women, or neuters, enabling life without social reproach.