Shloka 24
आत्मदर्शन-उपदेशः (Ātma-darśana Upadeśa) — Mind, Senses, and the All-pervading Self
इतरेष्वागमाद् धर्म: पादशस्त्ववरोप्यते । चौर्यकानृतमायाभिर धर्म श्वोपचीयते
itareṣv āgamād dharmaḥ pādaśas tv avaropyate | cauryakānṛtamāyābhir dharmaḥ śvopacīyate ||
Vyāsa said: In the later ages, dharma is diminished step by step, as though each of its quarters is taken away. Through theft, falsehood, and deceit, dharma is reduced to the level of a dog—fed and sustained only in a degraded form.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma does not collapse all at once; it erodes gradually. When theft, lying, and deceit become common, righteousness survives only in a debased, token form rather than as a guiding moral order.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on kingship and moral order, Vyāsa comments on the progressive decline of dharma across successive ages, describing how unethical practices steadily lower society’s standards.