Shloka 33
अव्यक्त-प्रबोधः (Awakening to the Unmanifest): The 25th and 26th Principles and Eligibility for Brahma-vidyā
जात्या च कर्मणा चैव दुष्ट कर्म न सेवते । जात्या दुष्टश्न यः पापं न करोति स पूरुष:
jātyā ca karmaṇā caiva duṣṭa-karma na sevate | jātyā duṣṭaś ca yo pāpaṁ na karoti sa pūruṣaḥ ||
Parāśara berkata: “Ia yang, baik karena kelahiran maupun karena laku hidupnya, tidak menempuh perbuatan jahat—dialah yang sungguh layak. Bahkan bila seseorang dianggap ternoda oleh kelahiran, namun ia tidak berbuat dosa—dialah manusia sejati.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral worth is determined by refraining from sinful, wicked actions; even if society deems someone ‘tainted’ by birth, ethical conduct makes one truly worthy.
In Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, the sage Parāśara states a criterion for genuine human excellence: not birth-status but the refusal to engage in pāpa (sin) and duṣṭa-karma (wicked deeds).