Shloka 21
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
अप्लवो हि महादोषं मुहामानो नियच्छति । कामग्राहगृहीतस्य ज्ञानमप्यस्य न प्लव:
aplāvo hi mahādoṣaṃ muhāmāno niyacchati | kāmagrāhagṛhītasya jñānam apy asya na plavaḥ ||
ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾರೂಪ ದೋಣಿ ಇಲ್ಲದವನು ಮೋಹಗೊಂಡು ಮಹಾದೋಷಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಗಾಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಕಾಮರೂಪ ಗ್ರಾಹ ಹಿಡಿದವನಿಗೆ ಜ್ಞಾನವೂ ದೋಣಿಯಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire can overpower a person so completely that even genuine knowledge fails to protect or guide them; without a practical means of crossing—self-restraint, disciplined practice, and steady discernment—one is led into serious moral error.
Vyāsa states a moral principle using a vivid metaphor: a person without a raft is swept into danger, and one caught by the ‘crocodile’ of desire cannot use knowledge as a boat. The verse functions as ethical instruction within the reflective teachings of the Śānti Parva.