Shloka 28
एक: शर्त्रुर्न द्वितीयो<$स्ति शरत्रु- रज्ञानतुल्य: पुरुषस्य राजन । येनावृतः कुरुते सम्प्रयुक्तो घोराणि कर्माणि सुदारुणानि,राजन! पुरुषका एक ही शत्रु है, उसके समान दूसरा कोई शत्रु नहीं है। वह है अज्ञान, जिससे आवृत और प्रेरित होकर मनुष्य अत्यन्त घोर और क्रूरतापूर्ण कर्म करने लगता है
ekaḥ śatrur na dvitīyo 'sti śatruḥ—ajñānatulyaḥ puruṣasya rājan | yenāvṛtaḥ kurute samprayukto ghorāṇi karmāṇi sudāruṇāni ||
Parāśara said: “O king, a man has only one true enemy; there is no second enemy equal to it. That enemy is ignorance. Veiled by it and driven by it, a person comes to perform deeds that are dreadful and exceedingly cruel.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignorance (ajñāna) is presented as the single greatest enemy of a person, because it obscures discernment and drives one toward dreadful, cruel actions; ethical reform therefore begins with removing ignorance through right knowledge and clarity.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, the sage Parāśara addresses a king and delivers a moral warning: the real adversary is not external foes but the inner veil of ignorance that impels destructive conduct.