Shloka 516
Yajña-bhāga-vyavasthā and the Pravṛtti–Nivṛtti Framework (यज्ञभागव्यवस्था तथा प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्तिधर्मविवेचनम्)
तयोरन्यतरः: प्रैति विद्वेषं चाधिगच्छति । “जो धार्मिक विधिका उल्लंघन करके प्रश्न करता है और जो अधर्मपूर्वक उसका उत्तर देता है, उन दोनोंमेंसे एककी मृत्यु हो जाती है अथवा एक दूसरेके द्वेषका पात्र बन जाता है
tayor anyataraḥ praiti vidveṣaṃ cādhigacchati |
Bhīṣma said: Of those two—one who asks a question by violating righteous procedure and one who answers it in an unrighteous manner—one comes to ruin (even to death), or else they become objects of mutual hatred. The teaching warns that even the pursuit of knowledge becomes destructive when divorced from dharma in both inquiry and response.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Both the manner of asking and the manner of answering must be grounded in dharma; otherwise the exchange leads to grave harm—ruin/death or lasting enmity.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he cautions that improper, unrighteous questioning and unrighteous answering are not neutral acts; they generate destructive outcomes for at least one party and can poison relationships with hatred.