Shloka 37
कपिल–स्यूमरश्मि संवादः
Kapila and Syūmaraśmi on Renunciation, Householder Support, and Epistemic Authority
ये च च्छिन्दन्ति वृषणान् ये च भिन्दन्ति नस्तकान् | वहन्ति महतो भारान् बध्नन्ति दमयन्ति च
ye ca cchindanti vṛṣaṇān ye ca bhindanti nastakān | vahanti mahato bhārān badhnanti damayanti ca ||
Tulādhāra said: “And those who castrate bulls, who pierce their noses, who make them carry heavy loads, who bind them and subdue them to force them into work—why do you not condemn them? Likewise, those who kill and eat many living beings, and those who, though human, enslave other humans and enjoy the fruits of their labor—why are they not the objects of your blame?”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tulādhāra presses for moral consistency: if one condemns certain forms of harm, one must also recognize and condemn socially normalized harms—cruelty to animals through mutilation and forced labor, killing for food, and human exploitation through enslavement and appropriation of others’ labor.
In the Tulādhāra episode of Śānti Parva, Tulādhāra responds to a moral critic by pointing to everyday, accepted practices of violence and domination. He challenges selective outrage and redirects the discussion toward a broader, more impartial standard of dharma grounded in non-injury and fairness.