Shloka 22
Sanatsujāta-Āhvāna (Summoning Sanatsujāta) — Vidura’s Invocation and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Doubt
धघतयद्र उवाच ये5स्मिन् धर्मान् नाचरन्तीह केचित् तथा धर्मान् केचिदिहाचरन्ति । धर्म: पापेन प्रतिहन्यते स्वि- दुताहो धर्म: प्रतिहन्ति पापम्,धृतराष्ट्र बोले--इस जगत्में कुछ लोग ऐसे हैं, जो धर्मका आचरण नहीं करते तथा कुछ लोग उसका आचरण करते हैं, अतः धर्म पापके द्वारा नष्ट होता है या धर्म ही पापको नष्ट कर देता है?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | ye'smin dharmān nācarantīha kecit tathā dharmān kecid ihācaranti | dharmaḥ pāpena pratihanyate svi-d utāho dharmaḥ pratihanti pāpam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: In this world, some people do not practice dharma, while others do practice it. Tell me then—does dharma get destroyed by sin, or does dharma itself destroy sin?
धघतयद्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inquiry about the relative power of dharma and pāpa: whether wrongdoing can nullify righteousness, or whether steadfast righteousness ultimately overcomes and neutralizes wrongdoing. It invites reflection on moral causality and the resilience of ethical order amid human failure.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, troubled by the mixed conduct he sees—some people living by dharma and others ignoring it—asks a pointed question about outcomes: in the real world of conflict and political crisis, which prevails in the end, sin or righteousness?