Shloka 47
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
कर्मणा यत्र पापेन वर्तन्ते जीवितेप्सव: । व्यवधावेत् ततस्तूर्ण ससर्पाच्छ0एणादिव,जहाँ जीवनकी रक्षाके लिये लोग पापकर्मसे जीविका चलाते हों, सर्पयुक्त घरके समान उस स्थानसे तुरंत दूर हट जाना चाहिये
karmaṇā yatra pāpena vartante jīvitepsavaḥ | vyapadhāvet tataḥ tūrṇaṃ sa-sarpāc chūnyagṛhād iva ||
Nārada said: Wherever people, eager merely to preserve their lives, sustain themselves by sinful deeds, one should quickly withdraw from that place—just as one would flee at once from a house infested with snakes or from a deserted, unsafe dwelling.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not remain in a place where people maintain their livelihood through sinful actions for the sake of mere survival; withdraw promptly, because such association endangers one’s dharma and moral clarity.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Nārada offers a practical guideline: recognize environments sustained by wrongdoing and leave them immediately, illustrated through the vivid comparison of fleeing a snake-infested house.