Shloka 24
आत्मदर्शन-उपदेशः (Ātma-darśana Upadeśa) — Mind, Senses, and the All-pervading Self
इतरेष्वागमाद् धर्म: पादशस्त्ववरोप्यते । चौर्यकानृतमायाभिर धर्म श्वोपचीयते
itareṣv āgamād dharmaḥ pādaśas tv avaropyate | cauryakānṛtamāyābhir dharmaḥ śvopacīyate ||
ヴィヤーサは言った。「後の時代には、ダルマは段階ごとに減じられ、まるでその四分の一ずつが奪われていくかのようである。盗み、虚偽、欺きによって、ダルマは犬のような境涯にまで落とされ、卑しい形でのみ養われ、かろうじて保たれる。」
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma does not collapse all at once; it erodes gradually. When theft, lying, and deceit become common, righteousness survives only in a debased, token form rather than as a guiding moral order.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on kingship and moral order, Vyāsa comments on the progressive decline of dharma across successive ages, describing how unethical practices steadily lower society’s standards.