Shloka 38
शततमः सर्गः — Rāma Questions Bharata on Rājadharma
Governance, Counsel, and Public Welfare
कच्चिन्न लौकायतिकान्ब्राह्मणांस्तात सेवसे।।अनर्थकुशला ह्येते बालाः पण्डितमानिनः।।।।
kaccin na laukāyatikān brāhmaṇāṃs tāta sevase | anarthakuśalā hy ete bālāḥ paṇḍitamāninaḥ ||
Mein Lieber, mögest du dich nicht mit jenen Brahmanen einlassen, die weltlich gesinnt und skeptisch sind; denn obgleich kindisch, halten sie sich für gelehrt und verstehen sich nur darauf, Unheil zu stiften.
Dear brother, I hope you do not serve those brahmins who are atheists, who foolishly think of this world alone and fancy themselves as learned. They only bring disasters.
FAQs
Choose counselors aligned with dharma and truth; wrong intellectual pride and cynical counsel can corrupt judgment and lead to adharma.
Rāma cautions Bharata about the influence of advisers, warning against association with harmful, self-styled ‘learned’ skeptics.
Viveka (discernment): the ability to distinguish genuine wisdom from pretended learning.