Shloka 26

Devanagari script

न तत्‌ क्रतुसहस्रेण नोपवासै श्ष नित्यश: । अभयस्य च दानेन यत्‌ फल प्राप्तुयान्नर:,अभयदानसे मनुष्य जिस फलको पाता है, वह उसे सहस्रों यज्ञ और नित्यप्रति उपवास करनेसे भी नहीं मिल सकता है

Transliteration

na tat kratusahasreṇa nopavāsaiś ca nityaśaḥ | abhayasya ca dānena yat phalaṁ prāptum icchati naraḥ ||

Translation

毗度罗曰：人以施无畏所得之果报，纵行千次祭祀，亦不能得；纵日日斋戒，亦不可及。

Word by Word

नnot

तत्that (result/fruit)

क्रतु-सहस्रेणby a thousand sacrifices

नnor/not

उपवासैःby fasts

चand

नित्यशःalways/daily

अभयस्यof fearlessness/safety

चand

दानेनby (the) giving/gift

यत्which (fruit/result)

फलम्fruit, result

प्राप्तुयात्would obtain

नरःa man

Speaker

विदुर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vidura

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Moral protection of others—granting them freedom from fear (abhaya-dāna)—is presented as a higher and rarer merit than large-scale ritual sacrifice or habitual ascetic fasting.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Strī Parva’s grief-filled aftermath of the war, Vidura speaks as a moral counselor, redirecting attention from ritual displays to compassionate, socially healing conduct—especially ensuring safety and reassurance for the vulnerable.