Shloka 20
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
पेयापेये कुत: सिद्धिर्हिंसन्ति च परस्परम् | गम्यागम्यं तदा नासीत् स्वं परस्वं च वै समम्
peyāpeye kutaḥ siddhir hiṃsanti ca parasparam | gamyāgamyaṃ tadā nāsīt svaṃ parasvaṃ ca vai samam ||
Vasuharoma berkata: “Bagaimana mungkin pada waktu itu wujud aturan yang mantap tentang apa yang boleh atau tidak boleh diminum? Orang ramai mula saling mencederakan. Pada masa itu, bahkan perbezaan antara yang boleh didekati dan yang tidak boleh didekati pun lenyap; harta sendiri dan harta orang lain dianggap sama.”
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma collapses, even basic moral discriminations (permitted/forbidden, mine/others’) lose force, leading to mutual violence and social breakdown.
Vasuharoma describes a degenerate time in which norms about conduct and consumption no longer hold, people harm each other, and property boundaries are ignored as if all wealth were the same.