Shloka 14
Śīla-prāpti and Śīla-lakṣaṇa (शीलप्राप्ति-शीललक्षणम्) | On the Acquisition and Marks of Character
अधर्म धर्म इति च योऊज्ञानादाचरेन्नर: । तं॑ चापि प्रथितं लोके कथं राजा निवर्तयेत्,“जो अज्ञानवश अधर्मको ही धर्म मानकर उसका आचरण कर रहा हो, उस लोकविख्यात सम्मानित पुरुषको राजा किस प्रकार उस अधर्मसे दूर हटावे?
adharma dharma iti ca yo'jñānād ācarennaraḥ | taṃ cāpi prathitaṃ loke kathaṃ rājā nivartayet ||
قال بيشما: «إذا كان رجلٌ، عن جهلٍ، يمارس ما هو أدهرما ظانًّا أنه دهَرما، وكان مع ذلك مشهورًا مُكرَّمًا بين الناس، فكيف للملك أن يرده عن ذلك السبيل الآثم؟»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when wrongdoing is committed under the sincere belief that it is dharma—especially by a socially respected person—the king still bears responsibility to correct it. The verse highlights the difficulty of enforcing dharma when ignorance is protected by public prestige.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, he raises a practical problem of governance: how a ruler can restrain a renowned man who, through ignorance, practices adharma while claiming it to be dharma.