Shloka 45
कपिल–स्यूमरश्मि संवादः
Kapila and Syūmaraśmi on Renunciation, Householder Support, and Epistemic Authority
न मन्ये भ्रूणहत्यापि विशिष्टा तेन कर्मणा । कृषिं साध्विति मन्यन्ते सा च वृत्ति: सुदारुणा,मैं समझता हूँ कि उस क्रूर कर्मसे बढ़कर भ्रूणहत्याका पाप भी नहीं है। कुछ लोग खेतीको अच्छा मानते हैं, परंतु वह वृत्ति भी अत्यन्त कठोर है
na manye bhrūṇahatyāpi viśiṣṭā tena karmaṇā | kṛṣiṃ sādhv iti manyante sā ca vṛttiḥ sudāruṇā ||
Tulādhāra dit : «Je ne tiens pas même le meurtre d’un embryon pour plus grave que cet acte. Les hommes peuvent appeler l’agriculture un gagne-pain “bon”, mais cette occupation aussi est d’une dureté extrême.»
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges conventional moral rankings by stressing that harm can be embedded in socially approved occupations. Tulādhāra questions the easy labeling of certain livelihoods as ‘good’ when they involve violence or cruelty, urging ethical scrutiny of everyday actions.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Tulādhāra is speaking as a moral teacher. He is critiquing common assumptions about sin and virtue, contrasting a universally condemned act (bhrūṇahatyā) with an accepted livelihood (agriculture) to highlight hidden violence in ordinary life.