Shloka 24
Adhyāya 290: Sāṃkhya-vidhi, Deha-doṣa, Guṇa-vicāra, and Mokṣa-gati
Bhīṣma–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue
परेषां यदसूयेत न तत् कुर्यात् स्वयं नरः । यो हासूयुस्तथायुक्त: सो5वहासं नियच्छति
pareṣāṁ yad asūyeta na tat kuryāt svayaṁ naraḥ | yo hāsūyus tathāyuktaḥ so 'vahāsaṁ niyacchati ||
A person should not do himself what he would condemn in others. For one who is habitually fault-finding and inclined that way ends up in ridicule and contempt—his conduct collapses into mockery rather than virtue.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Use your own moral judgment consistently: do not perform actions you would blame in others. Habitual fault-finding (asūyā) degrades one’s character and speech, leading to contempt and ridicule rather than dharmic conduct.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Parāśara delivers a concise ethical maxim: self-regulation should be guided by the same standards one applies when judging others, warning against the corrosive habit of censoriousness.