KATHMANDU, Nepal — The Dalai Lama threatened to resign yesterday if the violence in Tibet spiraled “out of control,” as the Chinese prime minister accused him of orchestrating the protests.

“If things become out of control then my only option is to completely resign,” he told reporters at his Indian base in Dharamsala. Aides later explained that the 72-year-old Dalai Lama would only renounce his political status as leader of the government in exile and would remain the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama has reiterated his pacifist stance and expressed helplessness as riots have erupted over the past week. On Monday he radically reinforced his view.

“Even [if] 1,000 Tibetans sacrificed their life, [that would be] not much help,” he said. “Please help stop violence from Chinese side and also from Tibetan side.”

But in defiance of powerful radical voices in the exile community, who have challenged his limited goal of seeking autonomy within China, the Dalai Lama insisted that complete independence was “out of the question” and reiterated his support for the Beijing Olympics. Tibetans and Chinese, he said, must live “side by side” in peace.

A Tibet expert at Columbia University in New York, Robert Barnett, said, “He’s sending a signal to the Chinese side that he wants the door [to negotiations] to stay open.

“He’s indicating awareness that this is a very difficult situation for the Chinese too. It is very bold and politically quite brave of him to make that gesture at this time and will not come without a cost,” Mr. Barnett said, referring to the increasingly hard-line positions held by many younger exiles.

Mr. Bartlett said that many in Tibet might not immediately hear of the Dalai Lama’s threat to resign, and that the Chinese could help to defuse the situation by ending their jamming of radio stations.