Shloka 22
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
पद्म श्मशानादादत्ते पिशाचाच्चापि दैवतम् | तेषु यः: समयं कश्रित् कुर्वीत हतबुद्धिषु
padma śmaśānād ādatte piśācāc cāpi daivatam | teṣu yaḥ samayaṁ kaścit kurvīta hatabuddhiṣu ||
„Ein Mensch mag sogar einen Lotos aus dem Verbrennungsplatz nehmen und sogar eine Gottheit von einem Piśāca (bösartigen Geist) annehmen. Doch wer mit solchen, deren Verstand zugrunde gegangen ist, einen Pakt oder Vertrag schließt, handelt ohne Urteilskraft und zieht Unheil heran.“
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even if one can extract something seemingly valuable from impure or dangerous contexts, one should not enter into agreements with people of corrupted judgment; association and trust must be guided by discernment (viveka) and dharma.
Humatsena delivers a cautionary maxim: he uses striking images (a lotus from a cremation-ground; a ‘deity’ from a piśāca) to emphasize that making pacts with the foolish or morally ruined is especially perilous and should be avoided.