Shloka 4
निरय-परमस्थान-वर्णनम्
Niraya and the Supreme Station: A Metaphysical Re-reading
तत्राप्येवंविधा लोके वृत्ति: सत्यानृते भवेत् । धर्माधरमाँ प्रकाशश्न॒ तमो दुःखं सुखं तथा,उसमें भी लोकमें ऐसी वृत्ति जाननी चाहिये, जो सत्य और अनृत हैं, वे ही धर्म और अधर्म, प्रकाश और अन्धकार तथा दुःख और सुख हैं
tatrāpy evaṃvidhā loke vṛttiḥ satyānṛte bhavet | dharmādharmau prakāśaś ca tamo duḥkhaṃ sukhaṃ tathā ||
ഭരദ്വാജൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ലോകത്തിലും ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള ഒരു പ്രവൃത്തി-ധാര തിരിച്ചറിയണം: സത്യവും അസത്യവും തന്നെയാണ് ധർമ്മവും അധർമ്മവും നിർണ്ണയിക്കുന്നത്; അവ തന്നെയാണ് പ്രകാശവും അന്ധകാരവും, അതുപോലെ ദുഃഖവും സുഖവും.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links ethical reality to truthfulness: truth and untruth are not merely statements but forces that manifest as dharma/adharma, clarity/obscurity, and ultimately happiness/suffering. It teaches that moral discernment begins with recognizing how truth aligns with light and well-being, while untruth aligns with darkness and distress.
Bharadvāja is instructing the listener within the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, framing a moral analysis of worldly conduct (vṛtti). He explains how fundamental opposites—truth/untruth—structure human life and are experienced as ethical and existential outcomes.