Shloka 53
अम्बा–राम–भीष्म संवादः
Amba–Rama–Bhishma Dialogue on Vow and Refuge
यो यथा वर्तते यस्मिंस्तस्मिन्नेव प्रवर्तयन् । नाधर्म समवाप्रोति न चाश्रेयश्ष विन्दति
yo yathā vartate yasmiṁs tasminn eva pravartayan | nādharmaṁ samavāpnoti na cāśreyaś ca vindati ||
Rāma sprach: „Wenn jemand einem anderen genau in der Weise begegnet, wie jener sich verhält—Verhalten mit Verhalten vergeltend—so verfällt er weder dem Adharma noch wird er zum Empfänger von Unheil.“
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that responding to others in accordance with their own conduct—measured and proportionate—does not by itself constitute adharma, nor does it bring inauspicious consequences. Ethical accountability is framed in terms of fitting response rather than unprovoked wrongdoing.
Rama is speaking in a didactic mode, offering a moral principle about interpersonal conduct: one who mirrors another’s behavior toward them is not thereby blameworthy. The statement functions as ethical guidance within the broader deliberative atmosphere of the Udyoga Parva.