Shloka 48
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
स तानाह न मे धर्मो नश्येदिति पुनर्मुनीन् । यो हाधर्मेण वै ब्रूयाद् गृल्लीयाद् यो5प्यधर्मत:
sa tān āha na me dharmo naśyed iti punar munīn | yo hādharmena vai brūyād gṛllīyād yo 'py adharmataḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : Il parla de nouveau à ces sages : « Que mon dharma ne soit pas détruit. Car celui qui enseigne par des moyens iniques, et celui qui convoite ou s’empare par l’iniquité—tous deux déchoient de la voie de la juste conduite. »
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that dharma is preserved not only by good intentions but by righteous means: speaking or acting through adharma—especially through dishonest speech or greedy grasping—undermines one’s moral standing and leads to ethical downfall.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, a speaker addresses sages again, expressing concern that his dharma should not be compromised, and he frames this by condemning unrighteous speech and unrighteous acquisition as threats to dharma.