Shloka 24
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 148: Vāsudeva’s Report—Mobilization and the Nīti Sequence
Sāma–Bheda–Daṇḍa
एवं वदान्यो धर्मज्ञ: सत्यसंधश्न सो5भवत् । प्रिय: प्रजानामपि संस्त्वग्दोषेण प्रदूषित:
evaṁ vadānyo dharmajñaḥ satyasaṅdhaś ca so 'bhavat | priyaḥ prajānām api sa tvagdoṣeṇa pradūṣitaḥ ||
وهكذا، مع أنه كان جوادًا، عارفًا بالدارما، ثابتَ العهد بالصدق، محبوبًا لدى الرعية، فقد عُدَّ مُدنَّسًا بسبب داءِ الجلد المذكور آنفًا.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Inner virtues—generosity, knowledge of dharma, and fidelity to truth—do not necessarily protect one from social stigma; ethical discernment requires looking beyond external conditions and bodily afflictions.
Vāyudeva describes a person who possessed exemplary moral qualities and was loved by the people, yet due to a previously mentioned skin ailment he was viewed as ‘tainted,’ highlighting the tension between public perception and true merit.