Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 13
अवृत्ता ये तु भिन्दन्ति श्रुतित्यागपरायणा: । धर्मविद्वेषिणो मन्दा इत्युक्तस्तेषु संशय:
avṛttā ye tu bhindanti śruti-tyāga-parāyaṇāḥ | dharma-vidveṣiṇo mandā ity uktaḥ teṣu saṁśayaḥ ||
Bhishma dijo: «Aquellos que carecen de recta conducta, que quebrantan las normas establecidas, que se entregan a abandonar la śruti (la revelación védica), que odian el dharma y son de entendimiento torpe—sobre tales hombres se ha declarado la duda. Ellos violan los límites de la práctica justa y de la disciplina consuetudinaria sostenidas por los buenos; por ello no deben ser tenidos por guías fiables en asuntos de verdad y deber.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person who lacks good conduct, rejects śruti (Vedic authority), and is hostile to dharma is inherently unreliable; the wise should treat such a person’s claims and guidance with doubt.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is advising on standards for judging moral and religious authority, warning Yudhishthira that those who break established righteous norms and reject śruti should not be accepted as trustworthy arbiters of dharma.