Shloka 17
Āṇīmāṇḍavya–Upākhyāna
The Account of Āṇīmāṇḍavya and the Birth of Vidura
देवर्षिपितृयज्ञार्थमार भ्यन्त तदा क्रिया: । न चाधर्मेण केषांचित् प्राणिनामभवद् वध:,उन दिनों देवयज्ञ, ऋषियज्ञ तथा पितृयज्ञके लिये कर्मोंका आरम्भ होता था। अधर्मका भय होनेके कारण किसी भी प्राणीका वध नहीं किया जाता था
devārṣi-pitṛ-yajñārtham ārabhyanta tadā kriyāḥ | na cādharmeṇa keṣāñcit prāṇinām abhavad vadhaḥ ||
ครั้งนั้นมีการเริ่มประกอบพิธีกรรมเพื่อยัญบูชาแด่เทพ ฤๅษี และบรรพชน และไม่มีการฆ่าสิ่งมีชีวิตใด ๆ เพราะการฆ่านั้นถือเป็นอธรรม
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links proper ritual life (yajñas for gods, seers, and ancestors) with adherence to dharma, emphasizing that harming living beings is rejected when it is adharma; ethical restraint accompanies religious practice.
Vaiśampāyana describes an earlier time characterized by the commencement of traditional sacrificial rites and a social-ethical climate in which no creature was killed, since such killing would be considered unrighteous.