Shloka 24
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 148: Vāsudeva’s Report—Mobilization and the Nīti Sequence
Sāma–Bheda–Daṇḍa
एवं वदान्यो धर्मज्ञ: सत्यसंधश्न सो5भवत् । प्रिय: प्रजानामपि संस्त्वग्दोषेण प्रदूषित:
evaṁ vadānyo dharmajñaḥ satyasaṅdhaś ca so 'bhavat | priyaḥ prajānām api sa tvagdoṣeṇa pradūṣitaḥ ||
Thus, though he was generous, well-versed in dharma, steadfast in truth, and even beloved by the people, he came to be regarded as tainted because of the previously mentioned disease of the skin.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Inner virtues—generosity, knowledge of dharma, and fidelity to truth—do not necessarily protect one from social stigma; ethical discernment requires looking beyond external conditions and bodily afflictions.
Vāyudeva describes a person who possessed exemplary moral qualities and was loved by the people, yet due to a previously mentioned skin ailment he was viewed as ‘tainted,’ highlighting the tension between public perception and true merit.