Shloka 64
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
शौनक उवाच अहो बत महत् कष्ट विपरीतमिदं जगत् | येनापत्रपते साधुरसाधुस्तेन तुष्यति,शौनकजीने कहा--अहो! बहुत दुःखकी बात है, इस जगत्में विपरीत बातें दिखायी देती हैं। साधु पुरुष जिस कर्मसे लज्जित होते हैं, दुष्ट मनुष्योंको उसीसे प्रसन्नता प्राप्त होती है
śaunaka uvāca: aho bata mahat kaṣṭa viparītam idaṃ jagat | yenāpatrapate sādhur asādhus tena tuṣyati ||
Śaunaka said: “Alas, what a grievous hardship—this world appears perversely turned upside down. That very deed which makes a virtuous person feel shame is the same by which the wicked find satisfaction.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral inversion in society: the virtuous are restrained by shame and conscience, while the wicked take pleasure in the very acts that should cause remorse. It implicitly upholds dharma by praising the ethical sensitivity of the sādhu and condemning the shameless delight of the asādhu.
Śaunaka, speaking in the frame dialogue, reacts with lamentation and ethical reflection, observing how the world often rewards or gratifies wrongdoing while the righteous feel shame over improper conduct. The statement functions as a moral comment within the ongoing narration.