Shloka 14
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
क्षतं च स्खलितं चैव पतितं कृष्टमाहतम् । सर्वभूतानि रक्षन्ति समेषु विषमेषु च
kṣataṃ ca skhalitaṃ caiva patitaṃ kṛṣṭam āhatam | sarvabhūtāni rakṣanti sameṣu viṣameṣu ca ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Dẫu người ấy bị thương, loạng choạng, ngã xuống, bị dòng nước cuốn kéo, hay bị đánh trúng—thật vậy, hễ ai nằm trong cảnh an ổn hay hiểm nguy—người ấy đều được muôn loài che chở.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The helpless—wounded, fallen, or endangered—deserve protection; compassion and safeguarding the vulnerable is presented as a universal dharmic principle applicable in both favorable and adverse circumstances.
Bhishma, in his instruction on dharma, states a general moral observation: when someone is hurt or in danger, the natural and righteous response of beings is to protect them, emphasizing duty of care regardless of the situation.