Shloka 29
अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्
Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed
यावत: प्राणिनो हन्यात् तज्जातीयांस्तु तावतः । प्रमीयमानानुन्मोच्य प्राणिहा विप्रमुच्यते
yāvataḥ prāṇino hanyāt tajjātīyāṁs tu tāvataḥ | pramīyamānān unmocya prāṇihā vipramucyate ||
商那迦说道：“杀害众生者，若能以其所杀之数，救出同类众生等量于将死之厄——使其脱离死亡之险，便得解脱杀生之罪。”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a principle of expiation: the moral burden of taking life can be countered by actively saving life—specifically, by rescuing from death as many beings of the same kind as one has killed—thereby becoming freed from the sin of killing.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Śaunaka states a rule about prāyaścitta (atonement), explaining how a person guilty of killing living beings may obtain release from that guilt through life-saving acts proportionate to the harm done.