Shloka 23
धर्मसूक्ष्मे त्यागप्रधान्यविचारः
Subtle Dharma and the Primacy of Renunciation
भवन्ति सुदुरावर्ता हेतुमन्तो5पि पण्डिता: । दृढपूर्वे स्मृता मूढा नैतदस्तीतिवादिन:
bhavanti sudurāvartā hetumanto ’pi paṇḍitāḥ | dṛḍhapūrve smṛtā mūḍhā naitad astīti-vādinaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Aun los hombres doctos, aunque capaces de razonar, pueden volverse sumamente difíciles de hacer retroceder. Quienes son recordados por su obstinación en antiguas convicciones—extraviados y dados a negar—proclaman: “Eso no existe”, y se niegan a aceptar lo correcto.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Learning and argumentative skill do not guarantee openness to truth; when people cling stubbornly to prior convictions, they may deny what is evident or dharmically sound. The verse warns against obstinate denial and urges humility and receptivity in ethical discernment.
In the Shānti Parva’s reflective discourse after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira comments on human psychology in moral inquiry: even those regarded as learned can be difficult to correct, because attachment to fixed views leads them to reject counsel by insisting, “It is not so.”