Shloka 45
न मन्ये भ्रूणहत्यापि विशिष्टा तेन कर्मणा । कृषिं साध्विति मन्यन्ते सा च वृत्ति: सुदारुणा
na manye bhrūṇahatyāpi viśiṣṭā tena karmaṇā | kṛṣiṃ sādhv iti manyante sā ca vṛttiḥ sudāruṇā ||
Tulādhāra berkata: “Aku tidak menganggap bahkan pembunuhan embrio lebih berat daripada perbuatan itu. Orang mungkin menyangka pertanian itu suatu mata pencarian yang ‘baik’, namun pekerjaan itu sendiri amat keras dan kejam.”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges conventional moral rankings by stressing that harm can be embedded in socially approved occupations. Tulādhāra questions the easy labeling of certain livelihoods as ‘good’ when they involve violence or cruelty, urging ethical scrutiny of everyday actions.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Tulādhāra is speaking as a moral teacher. He is critiquing common assumptions about sin and virtue, contrasting a universally condemned act (bhrūṇahatyā) with an accepted livelihood (agriculture) to highlight hidden violence in ordinary life.