Shloka 63
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
सा त्वमेतान्यकार्याणि कार्यपिक्षा व्यवस्यसि । अविज्ञानेन वा युक्ता भिथ्याज्ञानेन वा पुन:
sā tvam etāny akāryāṇi kāryāpekṣā vyavasyasi | avijñānena vā yuktā mithyājñānena vā punaḥ ||
Janaka said: “Yet you have resolved to undertake deeds that ought not to be done, driven by an expectation of some ‘useful result.’ Whether through sheer ignorance, or again through false knowledge, you are poised to commit what is improper.”
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Janaka critiques action motivated by mere expediency (kāryāpekṣā) when it violates what is proper (akārya). He identifies two roots of such wrongdoing: ignorance (avijñāna) and, more dangerously, false certainty or mistaken doctrine (mithyājñāna).
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, Janaka addresses someone who is intent on performing actions he deems improper. He challenges the person’s resolve, suggesting it arises from ignorance or from a misguided understanding that makes unethical acts seem justifiable.