Shloka 22
पाण्डोः प्रेतकार्य-सम्पादनम्
Pāṇḍu’s Funeral Rites and Public Mourning
नृशंसं कर्म सुमहत् सर्वलोकविगर्हितम् | अस्वर्ग्यमयशस्यं चाप्यधर्मिष्ठं च भारत,भारत! अत्यन्त कठोरतापूर्ण कर्म सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें निन्दित है। वह स्वर्ग और यशको हानि पहुँचानेवाला है। इसके सिवा वह महान् पापकृत्य है
nṛśaṃsaṃ karma sumahat sarvalokavigarhitam | asvargyam ayaśasyaṃ cāpy adharmiṣṭhaṃ ca bhārata ||
يا بهاراتا، إن هذا لفعلٌ بالغ القسوة، جسيمٌ تلعنه العوالم كلها. إنه يهدم نصيب المرء من السماء ولا يجلب إلا العار؛ بل هو ظلمٌ ومخالفةٌ للدَّرما على التمام.
मृग उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cruel actions are not merely personally harmful; they are universally blameworthy, destroy spiritual merit (svarga), and bring disgrace. Dharma is presented as both an inner moral law and a social-ethical standard recognized by the world.
In the Adi Parva episode, the deer (mṛga) addresses a Bhārata-descended human and admonishes him, characterizing the contemplated or committed act as cruel, sinful, and condemned—urging restraint and adherence to dharma.