Shloka 20
श्रिया विहीनैरधनैर्नास्तिकै: सम्प्रवर्तितम् । वेदवादस्य विज्ञानं सत्याभासमिवानृतम्,श्रीहीन, निर्धन एवं नास्तिकोंने वेदके अर्थवादवाकयों द्वारा प्रतिपादित विज्ञानका आश्रय ले सत्य-सा प्रतीत होनेवाले मिथ्या मतका प्रचार किया है (वैसे वचनोंद्वारा क्षत्रियका संन्यासमें अधिकार नहीं सिद्ध होता है)
śriyā vihīnair adhanair nāstikaiḥ sampravartitam | vedavādasya vijñānaṃ satyābhāsam ivānṛtam ||
Bhīma said: “Deprived of prosperity, lacking wealth, and driven by disbelief, certain people have set in motion a so‑called ‘knowledge’ based on Vedic eulogistic passages. Though it appears like truth, it is in fact false—an imitation of truth used to spread a misleading doctrine.”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīma warns that doctrines can be made to look authoritative by leaning on persuasive Vedic-sounding statements (especially arthavāda), yet still be ethically and intellectually false; one must test claims by genuine dharma and truth, not mere rhetorical resemblance to scripture.
In the Śānti Parva discussion on dharma and right conduct, Bhīma criticizes certain interpreters who, lacking integrity and faith, promote a misleading ‘knowledge’ by appealing to Vedic eulogistic passages, presenting falsehood as if it were truth.