Shloka 45
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
तद्धत्वा सर्वभूतानामभावकृतनिश्चयम् । ततो बलाक: स्वरगादेवं धर्म: सुदुर्विद:
tad dhatvā sarvabhūtānām abhāvakṛta-niścayam | tato balākaḥ svarga-gād evaṃ dharmaḥ sudurvidaḥ ||
Nachdem er jenes Wesen erschlagen hatte, das fest entschlossen war, alle Lebewesen ins Verderben zu stürzen, ging Balāka in den Himmel ein. So ist die wahre Natur des Dharma überaus schwer zu erkennen.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that dharma is subtle and difficult to judge: even an act that appears violent or blameworthy may, in a particular context and intention, be connected with a result like attaining heaven—hence one must be cautious in making simplistic moral conclusions.
Vāyudeva cites an example: Balāka kills a certain creature while holding a firm resolve connected with the destruction/ending of beings, and afterward reaches Svarga. The example is used to illustrate the perplexing, hard-to-grasp nature of dharma.