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:

Transliteration

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

Translation

毗湿摩说：“达摩之教被宣说出来，是为了使众生不受伤害。因此，凡与不害（ahiṃsā，非暴力）相应者——唯此才是达摩；这是诸贤正之人的定见。”

Word by Word

• अहिंसार्थाय: for the purpose of non-violence
• अहिंसार्थाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहिंसा-अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• भूतानाम्: of beings
• भूतानाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• धर्मप्रवचनम्: teaching/exposition of dharma
• धर्मप्रवचनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-प्रवचन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• कृतम्: made / composed / laid down
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• यः: who/that which
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: would be / is (as a rule)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अहिंसासम्पृक्तः: associated with non-violence
• अहिंसासम्पृक्तः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अहिंसा-सम्पृक्त
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त) of सम्+पृच्/पृञ्ज् (to be mixed/associated)

• सः: that (one)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मः: dharma
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• निश्चयः: certainty / settled conclusion
• निश्चयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• bhūtāḥ (living beings/creatures)

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.