Shloka 17
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
नष्टायां प्रतिपत्तो च मोहवश्या नरास्तदा । लोभस्य वशमापतन्ना: सर्वे भरतसत्तम
naṣṭāyāṁ pratipattau ca mohavaśyā narās tadā | lobhasya vaśam āpannāḥ sarve bharatasattama ||
Bhishma berkata: “Apabila pengertian yang benar telah lenyap, manusia pada waktu itu menjadi tidak berdaya di bawah kekeliruan; dan semuanya, wahai yang terbaik antara keturunan Bharata, jatuh di bawah kuasa ketamakan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When discernment (pratipatti) is lost, delusion (moha) takes over, and greed (lobha) becomes the ruling force; ethical conduct collapses because inner clarity is the foundation of self-restraint.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war, explaining how societies and individuals fall into wrongdoing: first by losing right judgment, then by becoming deluded, and finally by being driven by greed.