Shloka 11
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
धर्म यो बाधते धर्मो न स धर्म: कुधर्म तत् अविरोधात् तु यो धर्म: स धर्म: सत्यविक्रम
dharma yo bādhate dharmo na sa dharmaḥ kudharma tat | avirodhāt tu yo dharmaḥ sa dharmaḥ satyavikrama ||
Dijo el halcón: «Aquello que, aunque se le llame “dharma”, estorba o viola el dharma, no es dharma verdadero; es kudharma, conducta extraviada. Mas el dharma que se sostiene sin contradicción—conforme al orden más hondo de la rectitud—ese solo es dharma, oh Satyavikrama.»
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A rule or duty is not ‘dharma’ merely by name; if it obstructs or undermines the very purpose of dharma, it becomes kudharma (misguided righteousness). True dharma is that which is internally consistent and does not contradict the fundamental ethical order.
In the Vana Parva’s dialogue context, the hawk (śyena) argues a principle of ethical discernment: actions justified as ‘dharma’ must be tested for coherence with dharma’s deeper aims; otherwise they are condemned as kudharma. The statement is addressed to a figure called Satyavikrama.