Shloka 7
Adhyāya 272: Vṛtrasya Dharmiṣṭhatā, Indrasya Mohaḥ, Vasiṣṭha-upadeśaḥ
Vṛtra’s dharmic stature; Indra’s disorientation; Vasiṣṭha’s counsel
व्याजेन चरते धर्ममर्थ व्याजेन रोचते । व्याजेन सिद्धयमानेषु धनेषु कुरुनन्दन
bhīṣma uvāca | vyājena carate dharmam arthaṁ vyājena rocate | vyājena siddhyamāneṣu dhaneṣu kurunandana, uttaraṁ nyāyasambaddhaṁ bravīti vidhicoditam ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Un hombre practica el dharma sólo bajo el pretexto de la rectitud; busca la riqueza mediante pretextos y engaños. Y cuando prosperan esas ganancias obtenidas con fraude, oh alegría de los Kurus, fija toda su inteligencia en ese mismo camino. Entonces, aun cuando amigos sabios y bienintencionados lo contengan, oh descendiente de Bharata, sólo ansía cometer pecado; y a quienes se lo prohíben les responde con réplicas que suenan “justas” y “legales”, hábilmente cosidas con el lenguaje de las escrituras.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma warns that once a person normalizes deceit for gain, he begins to disguise adharma as dharma: he clings to successful wrongdoing, rejects sincere counsel, and even weaponizes scriptural language to make his actions appear justified.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma analyzes a moral failure-pattern: a man starts with ‘pretexts’ for righteousness, shifts to deceitful pursuit of wealth, becomes mentally invested in that success, and then answers reprovers with seemingly lawful, reasoned replies drawn from injunctions.