Shloka 23
कालनिर्देशः शोकनिवारणं च
Instruction on Kāla and the Removal of Grief
स्तेय॑ कुर्वश्न गुर्वर्थमापत्सु न निषिध्यते । बहुश: कामकारेण न चेद् यः सम्प्रवर्तते
steyaṁ kurvaśna gurvartham āpatsu na niṣidhyate | bahuśaḥ kāmakāreṇa na ced yaḥ sampravartate ||
Pada masa kesusahan, mengambil—bahkan dengan cara sembunyi-sembunyi—demi kepentingan guru tidak dipandang tercela. Namun, orang yang tidak berulang kali melakukan perbuatan demikian semata-mata karena nafsu dan kemauan sendiri, itulah yang berbeda dari mereka yang terbiasa melanggar dharma.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an āpaddharma exception: in extreme distress, an otherwise blameworthy act like theft may be tolerated if done for a higher duty such as supporting one’s teacher. Yet it warns that such exceptions must not become a pattern driven by desire; motive and frequency determine moral culpability.
In Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Vyāsa articulates a nuanced rule about conduct under crisis: he distinguishes emergency-justified actions undertaken for a legitimate obligation (guru’s need) from repeated, self-indulgent wrongdoing done out of kāma (impulse/desire).