Shloka 37
कपिल–स्यूमरश्मि संवादः
Kapila and Syūmaraśmi on Renunciation, Householder Support, and Epistemic Authority
ये च च्छिन्दन्ति वृषणान् ये च भिन्दन्ति नस्तकान् | वहन्ति महतो भारान् बध्नन्ति दमयन्ति च
ye ca cchindanti vṛṣaṇān ye ca bhindanti nastakān | vahanti mahato bhārān badhnanti damayanti ca ||
トゥラーダーラは言った。「また、牡牛を去勢し、鼻を穿ち、重い荷を負わせ、縛りつけて屈服させ、働かせる者たちを、なぜおまえは非難しないのか。同じく、多くの生きものを殺して食らう者たち、そして人でありながら人を奴隷として使い、その労苦の実りを自ら享受する者たちを、なぜ咎めないのか。」
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tulādhāra presses for moral consistency: if one condemns certain forms of harm, one must also recognize and condemn socially normalized harms—cruelty to animals through mutilation and forced labor, killing for food, and human exploitation through enslavement and appropriation of others’ labor.
In the Tulādhāra episode of Śānti Parva, Tulādhāra responds to a moral critic by pointing to everyday, accepted practices of violence and domination. He challenges selective outrage and redirects the discussion toward a broader, more impartial standard of dharma grounded in non-injury and fairness.