Shloka 37
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
न नृत्यगीतशीलेषु हासकेषु च धार्मिक: । न मत्ते चैव नोन्मत्ते न स्तेने न च कुत्सके
na nṛtyagītaśīleṣu hāsakeṣu ca dhārmikaḥ | na matte caiva nonmatte na stene na ca kutsake
Vyāsa said: “A truly righteous person does not take delight in those addicted to dancing and singing, nor in jesters and frivolous entertainers. He does not associate with the intoxicated or the deranged, nor with thieves, nor with the base and contemptible—avoiding such company as a safeguard of dharma and character.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is protected by guarding one’s associations: a righteous person avoids the company of the frivolous, intoxicated, deranged, thieving, and morally base, since such proximity erodes character and judgment.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa enumerates marks of righteous conduct, presenting practical guidance on whom a dhārmika should not keep company with.