Shloka 19
अध्याय १५२: लोभः पापस्य मूलम् — Greed as the Root of Wrongdoing
वक्ष्यन्ति मामधर्मज्ञं त्यक्ष्यन्ति सुहदो जना: । ता वाच: सुहृद: श्रुत्वा संज्वरिष्यन्ति मे भूशम्
vakṣyanti mām adharmajñaṃ tyakṣyanti suhṛdo janāḥ | tā vācaḥ suhṛdaḥ śrutvā saṃjvariṣyanti me bhūśam ||
लोक मला अधर्म न जाणणारा म्हणतील; माझे हितैषी सुहृद मला सोडून देतील. धर्मोपदेशाची अशी वाणी ऐकून माझे मित्र माझ्यावर तीव्र क्रोधाने जळून उठतील.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological obstacle to dharma: fear of social blame and the loss of allies. Even well-intentioned speech about righteousness can provoke resentment, so one must weigh truth, timing, and audience while remaining steady in ethical intent.
Śaunaka voices anxiety about public perception: he anticipates being labeled ignorant of dharma and worries that his friends will desert him. He further fears that, on hearing his words about giving dharma-instruction, those same friends will react with intense anger.