Shloka 28
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
अहिंसा परमो धर्मस्तथाहिंसा परो दम: । अहिंसा परमं दानमहिंसा परम तप:
ahiṃsā paramo dharmas tathāhiṃsā paro damaḥ | ahiṃsā paramaṃ dānam ahiṃsā paramaḥ tapaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：阿希摩萨（ahiṃsā，不害）为至上之法；同样，不害亦为至上之自制（damā）。不害是最大的布施，不害是最高的苦行（tapas）。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ahiṃsā (non-violence) is presented as the summit of four major ethical-spiritual ideals: dharma (right duty), dama (self-restraint), dāna (true giving), and tapaḥ (effective austerity). The verse teaches that the highest forms of morality and spiritual practice are grounded in not harming living beings.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows and teaching Yudhiṣṭhira—delivers authoritative guidance on dharma. Here he emphasizes ahiṃsā as a foundational principle that should govern conduct even amid the post-war moral reckoning.