Shloka 8
Arjuna’s Account of Tapas and the Kirāta Test; Revelation of Maheśvara and the Grant of the Pāśupata-Astra
वृथा55चारसमारम्भ: प्रेत्य चेह विनश्यति । साहसे वर्तमानानां निकृतीनां दुरात्मनाम्,साहसके कार्योंमें लगे हुए ठग एवं दुरात्मा पुरुषोंके उत्तम कर्मोंका अनुष्ठान इस लोक और परलोकमें भी व्यर्थ नष्टप्राय ही है
vṛthācārasamārambhaḥ pretya ceha vinaśyati | sāhase vartamānānāṃ nikṛtīnāṃ durātmanām ||
Dhanada said: “Any undertaking that begins in vain or unrighteous conduct perishes—both here in this world and after death. For deceitful, wicked-souled men who persist in reckless violence, even what appears to be ‘good conduct’ or ‘meritorious action’ comes to nothing, collapsing into futility in this life and the next.”
धनद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions rooted in vain or unrighteous conduct do not yield lasting merit; for deceitful and violent people, even seemingly good deeds become ineffective, failing both in this life and after death.
Dhanada (Kubera) delivers a moral warning: those who live by reckless violence and deception undermine their own welfare, so their undertakings and claimed virtues collapse without beneficial results.