Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 13
अवृत्ता ये तु भिन्दन्ति श्रुतित्यागपरायणा: । धर्मविद्वेषिणो मन्दा इत्युक्तस्तेषु संशय:
avṛttā ye tu bhindanti śruti-tyāga-parāyaṇāḥ | dharma-vidveṣiṇo mandā ity uktaḥ teṣu saṁśayaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Those who are without proper conduct, who break established norms, who are devoted to abandoning the Vedic revelation, who hate dharma, and who are dull-witted—about such people, doubt has been declared. They violate the boundaries of righteous practice and customary discipline upheld by the good; therefore they are not to be trusted as guides in matters of truth and duty.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person who lacks good conduct, rejects śruti (Vedic authority), and is hostile to dharma is inherently unreliable; the wise should treat such a person’s claims and guidance with doubt.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is advising on standards for judging moral and religious authority, warning Yudhishthira that those who break established righteous norms and reject śruti should not be accepted as trustworthy arbiters of dharma.