Shloka 19
Adhyāya 159 — Dāna–Dakṣiṇā, Āpaddharma Measures, and Prāyaścitta Classifications
कुर्वते च बहून् मार्गास्तान् हेतुबलमाश्रिता: । सतां मार्गान् विलुम्पन्ति लोभाज्ञानेषु निष्ठिता:
kurvate ca bahūn mārgāṁs tān hetu-balam āśritāḥ | satāṁ mārgān vilumpanti lobhājñāneṣu niṣṭhitāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : S’appuyant sur la force de raisonnements fallacieux, les hommes fabriquent quantité de voies mensongères. Puis, établis dans l’avidité et l’ignorance, ils se mettent à piller et à détruire les chemins tracés par les vertueux—ces frontières du dharma qui soutiennent la société.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Greed and ignorance, aided by clever but misleading argumentation, generate counterfeit moral systems and erode the dharmic standards established by the virtuous.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma warns Yudhishthira that people may use the appearance of logic to justify unrighteous ways, thereby undermining the social and ethical order upheld by good persons.