Shloka 36
अज्ञान–लोभयोः परस्परहेतुत्वम्
Mutual Causality of Ignorance and Greed
छिद्राणि विवृतान्येव साधूनां चावृणोति यः । यः पाप॑ पुरुष: कृत्वा कल्याणमभिपलद्यते
chidrāṇi vivṛtānyeva sādhūnām cāvṛṇoti yaḥ | yaḥ pāpa-puruṣaḥ kṛtvā kalyāṇam abhipadyate ||
Śaunaka dit : Celui qui couvre les fautes visibles des vertueux—s’efforçant de dissimuler leurs manquements exposés—et celui qui, après avoir péché, s’en détourne et s’engage dans une conduite salutaire : tous deux deviennent exempts de faute.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Two actions are presented as purifying: (1) shielding the openly visible faults of virtuous people—protecting them from needless blame—and (2) genuine reform, where a person who has sinned abandons wrongdoing and commits to wholesome conduct. Both lead to freedom from sin.
Śaunaka states an ethical maxim within the Shānti Parva’s instruction on dharma: he highlights the merit of charitable discretion toward the good and the redemptive possibility of turning from sin to righteous action.