Shloka 16
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
ते मोहवशमापन्ना मनुजा मनुजर्षभ । प्रतिपत्तिविमोहाच्च धर्मस्तेषामनीनशत्,नरश्रेष्ठी जब सारे मनुष्य मोहके वशीभूत हो गये, तब कर्तव्याकर्तव्यके ज्ञानसे शून्य होनेके कारण उनके धर्मका नाश हो गया
te mohavaśam āpannā manujā manujarṣabha | pratipatti-vimohāc ca dharmas teṣām anīnaśat ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai banteng di antara manusia, apabila manusia jatuh di bawah kuasa kekeliruan dan menjadi bingung tentang apa yang patut dilakukan dan apa yang tidak patut dilakukan, maka dharma mereka—tertib yang benar dan kendali moral—pun musnah.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When delusion dominates, people lose discernment about duty and wrongdoing; that confusion erodes dharma itself, leading to moral and social collapse.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma explains to his listener that widespread moral decline begins when humans become deluded and cannot distinguish proper action from improper action.