Shloka 8
Vasiṣṭha–Karāla-Janaka Saṃvāda: Aśuddha-Sevana, Guṇa-Dr̥ṣṭi, and Sāṃkhya–Yoga Ekārthatā
Mahābhārata 12.293
धर्मादपेतं यत् कर्म यद्यपि स्यान्महाफलम् | न तत् सेवेत मेधावी न तद्धितमिहोच्यते
dharmād apetaṃ yat karma yady api syān mahāphalam | na tat seveta medhāvī na tad dhitam ihocyate ||
Dijo Parāśara: Aunque una acción apartada del dharma parezca dar grandes frutos, el sabio no debe perseguirla. Pues tal acto no se tiene por verdaderamente beneficioso en este mundo—ya que la ganancia separada de la rectitud acaba minando el bien real.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not choose actions that violate dharma, even when they promise large worldly gains; true welfare (hita) is inseparable from righteousness.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, the sage Parāśara delivers a moral instruction: apparent success or profit cannot justify conduct that departs from dharma.