Shloka 13
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
अभयं सर्वभूतेभ्यो यो ददाति दयापर: । अभयं तस्य भूतानि ददतीत्यनुशुश्रुम,जो दयापरायण पुरुष सम्पूर्ण भूतोंको अभयदान देता है, उसे भी सब प्राणी अभयदान देते हैं। ऐसा हमने सुन रखा है
abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyo yo dadāti dayāparaḥ | abhayaṃ tasya bhūtāni dadatīty anuśuśruma ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Người nào lấy lòng từ bi làm gốc mà ban sự vô úy cho mọi loài—thì người ấy, theo điều ta từng nghe, cũng được muôn loài lần lượt ban lại sự vô úy. Đó là truyền thống mà chúng ta đã thọ nhận.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Compassion expressed as granting safety and non-fear to all beings (abhaya-dāna) creates a moral reciprocity: the world responds by becoming non-threatening to such a person. It praises kindness and protection as a high form of dharma.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he cites a traditional maxim: one who is compassionate and gives fearlessness to all creatures is, in turn, met with fearlessness from them.