Shloka 3

अध्याय १३२ — कर्मणा मनसा वाचा: स्वर्गमार्गः तथा आयुर्विपाकः

Adhyāya 132 — The path to heaven through deed, mind, and speech; karmic results for lifespan

Devanagari script

वनस्पति च यो हन्यादमावास्यामबुद्धिमान्‌ । अपि होकेन पत्रेण लिप्यते ब्रह्म॒हत्यया,जो मूर्ख अमावास्याके दिन किसी वनस्पतिका एक पत्ता भी तोड़ता है, उसे ब्रह्महत्याका पाप लगता है

Transliteration

vanaspatiṁ ca yo hanyād amāvāsyām abuddhimān | api hokena patreṇa lipyate brahmahatyayā ||

Translation

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า “ผู้เขลาผู้ใดทำร้ายพฤกษชาติในวันอมาวาสยา แม้เพียงเด็ดใบเดียว ก็ย่อมมัวหมองด้วยบาปอันหนักคือพรหมหัตยา”

Word by Word

वनस्पतिम्a tree/plant (lord of the forest)

चand

यःwho

हन्यात्should kill/cut down

अमावास्याम्on the new-moon day

अबुद्धिमान्unintelligent, foolish

अपिeven

हindeed (emphatic particle)

एकेनwith/by one

पत्रेणwith a leaf

लिप्यतेis smeared/tainted (is marked)

ब्रह्महत्ययाby the sin of brahmin-slaying

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Amavasya (new-moon day)

vanaspati (tree/plant)

brahmahatyā (grave sin)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma requires restraint from needless harm: even minor injury to plant life—especially on a sacred observance like Amāvāsyā—is treated as a serious moral fault, emphasizing reverence for life and disciplined conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the gravity of certain actions and the importance of self-control and non-injury, using a strong comparison (brahmahatyā) to stress the point.