Shloka 26
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
श्रेयस: श्रेयसो<प्येवं वृत्तं लोको<नुवर्तते । सदैव हि गुरोर्वृत्तमनुवर्तन्ति मानवा:
śreyasaḥ śreyaso 'pyevaṁ vṛttaṁ loko 'nuvartate | sadaiva hi guror vṛttam anuvartanti mānavāḥ ||
So folgt die Welt dem Verhalten dessen, der vortrefflich ist—ja, des Besten unter den Guten. Denn die Menschen ahmen von Natur aus stets das Tun ihrer Älteren und Lehrer nach.
हुमत्सेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Society takes its moral direction from exemplars: people naturally imitate the conduct of the best persons, especially elders and teachers; therefore the virtuous must be careful that their behavior itself teaches dharma.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Humatsena states a general principle about human psychology and social ethics: the world follows the behavior of superior persons, and humans habitually copy the conduct of gurus and elders.