Shloka 12

Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः

Devanagari script

अहिंसार्थाय भूतानां धर्मप्रवचनं कृतम्‌ । यः स्यादहिंसासम्पृक्त: स धर्म इति निश्चय:,प्राणियोंकी हिंसा न हो, इसके लिये धर्मका उपदेश किया गया है; अत: जो अहिंसासे युक्त हो, वही धर्म है, ऐसा धर्मात्माओंका निश्चय है

Transliteration

ahiṁsārthāya bhūtānāṁ dharma-pravacanaṁ kṛtam | yaḥ syād ahiṁsā-sampṛktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ ||

Translation

جانداروں پر عدمِ تشدد قائم رہے—اسی لیے دھرم کی تعلیم بیان کی گئی ہے۔ لہٰذا جو اہنسا (عدمِ تشدد) کے ساتھ وابستہ ہو—وہی دھرم ہے؛ نیکوکاروں کا یہی طے شدہ یقین ہے۔

Word by Word

अहिंसार्थायfor the purpose of non-violence

भूतानाम्of beings

धर्मप्रवचनम्teaching/exposition of dharma

कृतम्made / composed / laid down

यःwho/that which

स्यात्would be / is (as a rule)

अहिंसासम्पृक्तःassociated with non-violence

सःthat (one)

धर्मःdharma

इतिthus

निश्चयःcertainty / settled conclusion

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

bhūtāḥ (living beings/creatures)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is fundamentally oriented toward preventing harm to living beings; whatever is inseparably connected with ahiṁsā (non-injury) is to be recognized as true dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of dharma after the war, emphasizing ahiṁsā as the guiding criterion for righteous conduct.