Shloka 12
Daṇḍa, Ahiṃsā, and Proportional Kingship: The Dyumatsena–Satyavān Dialogue (दण्ड-अहिंसा-विवेकः)
विद्य चैवं न वा विद्य शक््यं वा वेदितुं न वा । अणीयान् क्षुरधाराया गरीयानपि पर्वतात्
vidyā caiva na vā vidyā śakyaṃ vā vedituṃ na vā | aṇīyān kṣuradhārāyā garīyān api parvatāt |
玉提湿陀罗说道：“无论我究竟知法与否；无论法的真实体性能否被彻底了悟——有一点我确信无疑：法比剃刀之刃更为微细，却又比高山更为沉重而广大。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is extraordinarily difficult to grasp and practice: it demands razor-sharp discernment (since a small mistake can be disastrous) and it carries immense moral weight (since it sustains society and the self). The verse also models humility—admitting uncertainty while affirming the seriousness of ethical responsibility.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective setting after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks in a tone of moral questioning. He confesses the challenge of knowing dharma with certainty and uses two strong metaphors—razor’s edge and mountain—to convey both its subtlety and its overwhelming gravity.