Shloka 19
Daṇḍa, Ahiṃsā, and Proportional Kingship: The Dyumatsena–Satyavān Dialogue (दण्ड-अहिंसा-विवेकः)
येनैवान्य: प्रभवति सो5परानपि बाधते । आचाराणामनैकाग्र्यं सर्वेषामुपलक्षयेत्
yenai vānyaḥ prabhavati so 'parān api bādhate | ācārāṇām anaikāgryaṃ sarveṣām upalakṣayet ||
येनैवान्यः प्रभवति सोऽपरानपि बाधते । आचाराणामनैकाग्र्यं सर्वेषामुपलक्षयेत् ॥
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma and proper conduct (ācāra) are not always one-size-fits-all: the same practice that benefits one person can become harmful when adopted by another. Hence ethical judgment must consider the agent’s nature, capacity, and context rather than insisting on a single uniform rule for everyone.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on dharma after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a subtle ethical concern: he notes that people differ, and therefore the same ‘dharma’ or mode of conduct can lead to different outcomes—uplift for one, harm for another—making universal prescriptions difficult.