Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 33
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
लोभाद् वा बुद्धिमोहाद् वा बलवीर्यार्थमेव च । संसर्गादथ पापानामधर्मरुचिता नृणाम्,लोभसे, बुद्धिके मोहसे, बल-वीर्यकी प्राप्तिके लिये अथवा पापियोंके संसर्गमें आनेसे मनुष्योंकी अधर्ममें रुचि हो जाती है
lobhād vā buddhimohād vā balavīryārtham eva ca | saṁsargād atha pāpānām adharmarucitā nṛṇām ||
Bhishma said: “Through greed, or through delusion of understanding, or simply for the sake of gaining strength and prowess—and also by associating with the wicked—people come to take pleasure in adharma. Thus, inner weakness and corrupt company together bend the mind toward unrighteous conduct.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Adharma arises not only from overt desire (greed) but also from inner confusion (deluded intellect), ambition for power, and especially from keeping the company of the wicked; therefore one should guard both one’s motives and one’s associations.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he explains to the listener the psychological and social causes that lead people to develop a taste for unrighteous conduct, warning against greed, delusion, power-seeking, and corrupt companionship.