Shloka 18
Jñāna-plava (The Raft of Knowledge): Svabhāva, Prajñā, and the Ascent to Ātmajñāna
ये धर्म चानुरुद्धयन्ते धर्मज्ञा द्विजसत्तम | ये हातो विच्युता मार्गात् ते हृष्यन्त्युद्धिजन्ति च
ye dharma cānuruddhyante dharmajñā dvijasattama | ye hātā viccyutā mārgāt te hṛṣyanty udvijanti ca ||
Jaigiṣavya dit : « Ô le meilleur des deux-fois-nés, ceux qui se conforment au dharma sont véritablement les connaisseurs du dharma. Mais ceux qui sont tombés—abattus et détournés de la voie—ce sont eux qui deviennent la proie des alternances d’allégresse et d’angoisse. »
जैगीषव्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
True knowledge of dharma is shown by living in accordance with it; deviation from the righteous path leads to emotional instability—swinging between excitement and anxiety—because one’s inner compass is no longer steady.
In a didactic exchange within the Śānti Parva, Jaigiṣavya addresses a learned ‘best of the twice-born’ and distinguishes genuine dharma-knowers (those who follow dharma) from those who have strayed, describing the latter’s disturbed mental state.