Shloka 18
Sandhi–Vigraha in Āpada: The Mouse and the Cat (सन्धिविग्रहापदि—मूषकमार्जारसंवादः)
यो ब्राह्मणान् परिवदेद् विनाशं चापि रोचयेत् । सूर्योदय इव ध्वान्ते ध्रुवं तस्य पराभव:
yo brāhmaṇān parivaded vināśaṃ cāpi rocayet | sūryodaya iva dhvānte dhruvaṃ tasya parābhavaḥ ||
Whoever maligns brāhmaṇas and even takes pleasure in their ruin—his downfall is certain, as surely as darkness is dispelled at sunrise.
कायव्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Slandering brāhmaṇas and rejoicing in their destruction is presented as a grave adharma that inevitably leads to one’s own defeat; moral darkness cannot endure, just as night’s darkness cannot remain after sunrise.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, the speaker (Kāyavya) delivers a moral warning: hostile speech and malicious intent toward brāhmaṇas bring certain ruin, illustrated through the simile of sunrise dispelling darkness.