Shloka 5
यज्ञेऽहिंसा-प्राधान्यम्
Primacy of Non-Harm in Sacrificial Ethics
सर्वकर्मस्वहिंसा हि धर्मात्मा मनुरब्रवीत् । कामकाराद् विहिंसन्ति बहिर्वेद्यां पशून् नरा:
sarvakarmasv ahiṃsā hi dharmātmā manur abravīt | kāmakārād vihiṃsanti bahirvedyāṃ paśūn narāḥ ||
毗湿摩说：“正直的摩奴宣示：在一切仪式与职责之中，不害（ahiṃsā）才是根本准则。然而世人只为一己欲望，竟在祭祀的外坛上宰献牲畜，从而造作伤害。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Non-violence is upheld as the overarching rule across all duties and rituals; violence in the name of sacrifice, when motivated by personal desire rather than true dharma, is condemned.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Shanti Parva, he cites Manu’s authority to emphasize ahiṃsā, then contrasts it with the common practice of animal sacrifice performed on the outer altar, attributing it to desire-driven conduct.