Shloka 25
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
च्युता देवमनुष्ये भ्यो यथा प्रेतास्तथैव ते । निर्यज्ञास्तपसा हीना मा सम तै: सह सड़म:,ऐसे लोग दूसरोंके लिये असहा हो उठते हैं। इनका अन्न न तो स्वयं भोजन करे और न इन्हें ही अपना अन्न दे; क्योंकि ये छल-कपटके द्वारा पतनके गर्तमें गिर चुके हैं और देवलोक तथा मनुष्यलोक दोनोंसे वंचित हो प्रेतोंके समान अवस्थाको पहुँच गये हैं। इतना ही नहीं, वे यज्ञ और तपस्यासे भी हीन हैं; अतः तुम कभी उनका संग न करो
cyutā devamanuṣyebhyo yathā pretās tathaiva te | niryajñās tapasā hīnā mā sama taiḥ saha saṅgamaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Fallen away from both the worlds of gods and men, they are like wandering spirits. Devoid of sacrifice and bereft of austerity, do not associate with them.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should avoid close association with people who have fallen from dharma—those lacking yajña (religious duty) and tapas (self-discipline). Such company undermines one’s own ethical and spiritual stability.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhishma counsels Yudhishthira about discerning companionship: those who live by deceit and irreligion are described as ‘preta-like’—socially and spiritually dislocated—and are not to be kept as companions.