Shloka 31
कालनिर्देशः शोकनिवारणं च
Instruction on Kāla and the Removal of Grief
तत्त्वं ज्ञात्वा तु सोमस्य विक्रय: स्याददोषवान् | असमर्थस्य भृत्यस्य विसर्ग: स्याददोषवान् | वनदाहो गवामर्थे क्रियमाणो न दूषक:
tattvaṃ jñātvā tu somasya vikrayaḥ syād adoṣavān | asamarthasya bhṛtyasya visargaḥ syād adoṣavān | vanadāho gavām arthe kriyamāṇo na dūṣakaḥ |
Vyāsa said: “When one understands the true principle involved, even the selling of Soma may be free from fault. Likewise, dismissing a servant who is incapable may be free from fault. And a forest-fire set for the sake of cattle—when done for that purpose—is not blameworthy.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is assessed by underlying principle and purpose: actions that can appear blameworthy (selling Soma, dismissing a servant, setting a forest-fire) may be ethically faultless when grounded in right understanding, necessity, and a legitimate end.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Vyāsa offers illustrative cases to show that moral judgment depends on context and intent; he lists examples where an act becomes ‘adoṣavān’ (non-culpable) when performed with proper rationale and for a justified purpose.