Shloka 41
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
यत्रागमयमानानामसत्कारेण पृच्छताम् | प्रत्ूयाद् ब्रह्मणो धर्म त्यजेत् तं देशमात्मवान्
yatrāgamayamānānām asatkāreṇa pṛcchatām | prabrūyād brāhmaṇo dharmaṃ tyajet taṃ deśam ātmavān ||
जहाँ लोग असद्भाव और अनादर से धर्म-विषयक प्रश्न करें और फिर भी कोई ब्राह्मण उन्हें धर्म का उपदेश देता रहे—वहाँ आत्मसंयमी साधक को उस देश का त्याग कर देना चाहिए।
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma-instruction requires receptivity and respect; when a society treats dharma with contempt and asks in bad faith, a self-controlled seeker should withdraw rather than be complicit in the degradation of sacred teaching.
Nārada states a rule of conduct: if in a certain land people question dharma disrespectfully and a brāhmaṇa still teaches them, an ātmavān (disciplined person) should renounce that place—highlighting the ethical context for giving and receiving instruction.