Shloka 52
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
अशुचीन् यत्र पश्येत ब्राह्मुणान् वृत्तिकर्शितान् त्यजेत् तद् राष्ट्रमासन्नमुपसृष्टमिवामिषम्,जहाँ ब्राह्मणोंको जीविकाके लिये कष्ट पाते तथा अपवित्र अवस्थामें रहते देखे, उस राष्ट्रको निकटवर्ती होनेपर भी विषमिश्रित भोग्यवस्तुकी भाँति त्याग दे
aśucīn yatra paśyet brāhmaṇān vṛttikarśitān | tyajet tad rāṣṭram āsannam upasṛṣṭam ivāmiṣam ||
ナーラダは言った。「生計の苦しみにすり減らされ、不浄のうちに暮らすブラーフマナたちを見かけるところでは、その国がたとえ近くにあっても捨て去るべきである。毒が混じったかのように汚れた食を退けるのと同じように。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kingdom’s moral health is judged by how it sustains and honors the learned and virtuous; if Brahmins are forced into degrading hardship and impurity for mere survival, the realm is considered corrupted and should be avoided like poisoned food.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Narada offers a practical criterion for discerning a troubled or unrighteous state: visible distress and compromised purity among Brahmins signals systemic disorder, prompting withdrawal even from a nearby kingdom.