Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 12
अधर्मो धर्मरूपेण तृणै:ः कूप इवावृत: । ततसस््तैर्भिद्यते वृत्तं शूणु चैव युधिष्ठिर
bhīṣma uvāca | adharmo dharmarūpeṇa tṛṇaiḥ kūpa ivāvṛtaḥ | tataḥ tais bhidyate vṛttaṃ śṛṇu caiva yudhiṣṭhira |
Bhishma said: Adharma, disguising itself in the form of dharma, appears like a well covered over with grass. Then, through those very coverings, the bounds of proper conduct are broken. Listen carefully to this, O Yudhishthira.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Adharma often succeeds by imitating dharma: when wrongdoing wears the appearance of righteousness, it becomes hard to detect and can cause people to violate established standards of good conduct. The listener is urged to cultivate discernment so that outward forms do not mislead ethical judgment.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, he uses a metaphor: a well hidden by grass looks harmless but is dangerous. Likewise, adharma concealed under the ‘cloak’ of dharma leads people—especially the unscrupulous—to break the limits of proper behavior.