Shloka 31
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
अधर्म धर्मकामो हि करोति हाविचक्षण: । धर्म वाधर्मसंकाशं शोचन्निव करोति सः
adharma-dharma-kāmo hi karoti hāvicakṣaṇaḥ | dharma vādharmasaṅkāśaṃ śocann iva karoti saḥ ||
ಅವಿಚಕ್ಷಣನು ಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಬಯಸುತ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದರೂ ಅಧರ್ಮವನ್ನೇ ಮಾಡಿಬಿಡುತ್ತಾನೆ; ಮತ್ತೆ ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಶೋಕಗ್ರಸ್ತನಂತೆ, ಧರ್ಮದಂತೆ ಕಾಣುವದಾದರೂ ವಾಸ್ತವದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಧರ್ಮಸಮಾನವಾದ ಕರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಆಚರಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Without discernment (viveka), a person can commit adharma while believing it to be dharma, or perform dharma even while intending adharma. This confusion, rooted in ignorance, produces karmic bondage and perpetuates saṃsāra (repeated birth and death).
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa is explaining how moral error often arises not only from deliberate wickedness but from misjudgment—mistaking the nature of an act. He highlights the ethical danger of acting with unclear understanding and the spiritual consequence of such ignorance-driven action.