Shloka 52
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
अशुचीन् यत्र पश्येत ब्राह्मुणान् वृत्तिकर्शितान् त्यजेत् तद् राष्ट्रमासन्नमुपसृष्टमिवामिषम्
aśucīn yatra paśyet brāhmaṇān vṛttikarśitān | tyajet tad rāṣṭram āsannam upasṛṣṭam ivāmiṣam ||
Nārada dit : Là où l’on voit des brāhmanes vivre dans l’impureté et s’user à la peine pour gagner leur subsistance, il faut quitter ce royaume, fût-il tout proche, comme on rejette une nourriture souillée, comme si elle était mêlée de poison.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kingdom’s moral health is judged by how it sustains and honors the learned and virtuous; if Brahmins are forced into degrading hardship and impurity for mere survival, the realm is considered corrupted and should be avoided like poisoned food.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Narada offers a practical criterion for discerning a troubled or unrighteous state: visible distress and compromised purity among Brahmins signals systemic disorder, prompting withdrawal even from a nearby kingdom.