Shloka 17
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
श्रिया विहीनैरलसै: पण्डितै: सम्प्रवर्तितम् । वेदवादापरिज्ञानं सत्याभासमिवानृतम्
śriyā vihīnair alasaiḥ paṇḍitaiḥ sampravartitam | vedavādāparijñānaṃ satyābhāsam ivānṛtam ||
Kapila dit : «Cette prétendue compréhension du discours védique, mise en branle par des savants dépourvus de véritable excellence et enlisés dans la paresse, n’est en vérité qu’un simulacre de la vérité : un mensonge qui n’a que l’apparence du vrai.»
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kapila warns that mere scholarly talk about the Veda, when driven by laziness and lack of inner excellence, becomes only a semblance of truth—persuasive-sounding but ethically and spiritually false. True knowledge must be lived and realized, not merely argued.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation-oriented wisdom, Kapila speaks critically about misguided “Vedic” interpretations. He contrasts authentic insight with hollow erudition that circulates as authoritative teaching while actually being deceptive.