Mahabharata 3.2.64 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 64
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
शौनक उवाच अहो बत महत् कष्ट विपरीतमिदं जगत् | येनापत्रपते साधुरसाधुस्तेन तुष्यति
śaunaka uvāca: aho bata mahat kaṣṭa viparītam idaṃ jagat | yenāpatrapate sādhur asādhus tena tuṣyati ||
शौनक म्हणाला—अहो! किती मोठे दुःख; हे जगत् जणू उलटे झाले आहे. ज्या कर्माने सज्जन लाजतात, त्याच कर्माने दुष्ट तृप्त होतात.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral inversion in society: the virtuous are restrained by shame and conscience, while the wicked take pleasure in the very acts that should cause remorse. It implicitly upholds dharma by praising the ethical sensitivity of the sādhu and condemning the shameless delight of the asādhu.
Śaunaka, speaking in the frame dialogue, reacts with lamentation and ethical reflection, observing how the world often rewards or gratifies wrongdoing while the righteous feel shame over improper conduct. The statement functions as a moral comment within the ongoing narration.
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