Shloka 346
धर्मज्ञेन सता नाम सो<धर्म: सुमहान् कृत: । आपने धर्मज्ञ होते हुए भी राज्यके लोभसे झूठ बोलकर जो अपने गुरुको धोखा दिया, वह महान् पाप किया है
dharmajñena satā nāma so 'dharmaḥ sumahān kṛtaḥ | āpne dharmajña hote hue bhī rājyake lobhase jhūṭha bolakara jo apane guruko dhokhā diyā, vaha mahān pāpa kiyā hai |
Arjuna said: “A grievous unrighteous act has indeed been committed by one who is reputed to be virtuous and a knower of dharma. Though knowing what is right, driven by greed for sovereignty, he spoke falsehood and deceived his own teacher—this is a great sin.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a person famed as righteous commits a grave moral fall when, despite knowing dharma, he chooses falsehood and betrays his teacher for political gain; knowledge of dharma increases responsibility rather than excusing wrongdoing.
In the tense context of the Drona Parva, Arjuna voices moral outrage at a strategic act involving untruth and deception toward a revered preceptor, framing it as a serious breach of dharma motivated by desire for rule.