Shloka 13

Devanagari script

इदं चोवाच वचन रुरुमप्रतिमौजसम्‌ | अहिंसा परमो धर्म: सर्वप्राणभूतां वर,इतना कहकर महायशस्वी विप्रवर सहस्रपादने डुण्डुभका रूप त्यागकर पुनः अपने प्रकाशमान स्वरूपको प्राप्त कर लिया। फिर अनुपम ओजवाले रुरुसे यह बात कही --'समस्त प्राणियोंमें श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मण! अहिंसा सबसे उत्तम धर्म है

Transliteration

idaṃ covāca vacanaṃ rurum apratimaujasam | ahiṃsā paramo dharmaḥ sarvaprāṇabhūtānāṃ vara ||

Translation

Pagkatapos ay sinabi niya ang mga salitang ito kay Ruru, na ang lakas ay walang kapantay: “O pinakamainam sa lahat ng may buhay, ang ahiṃsā—ang di-pananakit—ang pinakamataas na dharma.” Sa balangkas ng salaysay, ang maringal na Brahmin—na minsang nag-anyong nilalang na parang tambol na si Dundubha—ay iniwan ang gayong pagbabalatkayo, nagbalik sa maningning na tunay na anyo, at saka tinuruan si Ruru ng aral na ito.

Word by Word

• {'idaṃ': 'this', 'ca': 'and', 'uvāca': 'said, spoke', 'vacanam': 'speech, statement, utterance', 'rurum': 'Ruru (proper name

• addressed/mentioned)', 'apratima': 'unequalled, incomparable', 'ojas': 'vigor, energy, spiritual/heroic potency', 'apratimaujasam': 'one whose energy is incomparable', 'ahiṃsā': 'non-violence

• refraining from injury', 'paramaḥ': 'supreme, highest', 'dharmaḥ': 'dharma

• righteous duty, moral law, right conduct', 'sarva': 'all', 'prāṇa': 'breath

• life-force', 'bhūta': 'living being, creature', 'sarvaprāṇabhūtānām': 'of all living beings (those endowed with life-breath)', 'vara': 'best, excellent one (vocative sense: ‘O best…’)'}

Speaker

डुण्ड्रुभ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dundubha
• Ruru
• Vipra (brahmin sage; implied as the one speaking/transforming)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that ahiṃsā (non-violence, non-injury) is the highest form of dharma, presented as a universal ethical principle applying to all living beings.

What is happening in the narrative?

A brahmin who had taken the form of Dundubha gives up that assumed form, returns to his radiant true form, and then addresses Ruru with an ethical instruction emphasizing non-violence.