Shloka 16
कालनिर्देशः शोकनिवारणं च
Instruction on Kāla and the Removal of Grief
एतान्येव तु कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि मानवा: । येषु येषु निमित्तेषु न लिप्यन्तेडथ तान् शृणु,अब जिन-जिन कारणोंके होनेपर इन कर्मोौंको करते रहनेपर भी मनुष्य पापसे लिप्त नहीं होते, उनका वर्णन सुनो
etāny eva tu karmāṇi kriyamāṇāni mānavāḥ | yeṣu yeṣu nimitteṣu na lipyante ’tha tān śṛṇu ||
“These very actions, when performed by human beings, do not bring moral taint in certain specific circumstances. Now listen as I explain the particular grounds on which, even while continuing to do these deeds, one is not stained by sin.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral culpability is not determined by the mere performance of an act; it depends on the qualifying circumstances (nimitta) under which the act is done. Vyāsa signals that certain contexts render the same actions non-tainting (na lipyante), preparing a nuanced discussion of dharma beyond simplistic rule-following.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa addresses his listener(s) and introduces an upcoming classification: he will enumerate the specific situations in which continuing to perform certain actions does not lead to sin. This verse functions as a transition into that detailed explanation.