Shloka 15
Daṇḍa, Ahiṃsā, and Proportional Kingship: The Dyumatsena–Satyavān Dialogue (दण्ड-अहिंसा-विवेकः)
कामादन्येच्छया चान्ये कारणैरपरैस्तथा । असन्तो<पि वृथाचारं भजन्ते बहवो5परे
kāmād anyecchayā cānye kāraṇair aparais tathā | asanto 'pi vṛthācāraṃ bhajante bahavo 'pare ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : Certains pratiquent le dharma par désir ; d’autres le font pour satisfaire le vœu d’autrui ; d’autres encore agissent pour des motifs variés. Beaucoup, sans être réellement vertueux, s’adonnent aussi à une conduite vaine et tapageuse, répandant la simple apparence de la droiture sans en posséder la substance.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is often pursued for mixed motives—desire, social pressure, or other causes—and therefore outward observance alone is unreliable; true righteousness depends on inner virtue and sincere intent, not mere display.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a moral concern: he observes that many people perform ‘dharma’ for self-serving or external reasons, and that even unvirtuous persons can imitate religious conduct, creating confusion about what genuine dharma looks like.