Shloka 29
अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्
Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed
यावत: प्राणिनो हन्यात् तज्जातीयांस्तु तावतः । प्रमीयमानानुन्मोच्य प्राणिहा विप्रमुच्यते
yāvataḥ prāṇino hanyāt tajjātīyāṁs tu tāvataḥ | pramīyamānān unmocya prāṇihā vipramucyate ||
Sinabi ni Śaunaka: “Ang pumapatay ng mga nilalang ay napapalaya sa kasalanan ng pagpatay kapag, sa dami ng nilalang na kanyang napatay, siya’y nakapagliligtas ng kapantay na bilang ng mga nilalang na kaparehong uri mula sa nalalapit na kamatayan—inaalis sila sa panganib ng pagpanaw.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a principle of expiation: the moral burden of taking life can be countered by actively saving life—specifically, by rescuing from death as many beings of the same kind as one has killed—thereby becoming freed from the sin of killing.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Śaunaka states a rule about prāyaścitta (atonement), explaining how a person guilty of killing living beings may obtain release from that guilt through life-saving acts proportionate to the harm done.