Shloka 22
Kośārtha-Rājadharma: Ethical Revenue Collection and Social Regulation (कोशार्थ-राजधर्मः)
मद्यमांसपरस्वानि तथा दारा धनानि च | आहरेद् रागवशगस्तथा शास्त्र प्रदर्शयेत्
madyamāṁsa-parasvāni tathā dārā dhanāni ca | āhared rāga-vaśagas tathā śāstra-pradarśayet ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Seseorang yang dikuasai nafsu merampas minuman memabukkan dan daging, serta apa yang milik orang lain—wanita dan harta. Setelah terjerumus dalam keterikatan itu, dia bukan sahaja melakukannya sendiri, malah mencari “dalil kitab” untuk membenarkan perbuatan dan menghasut orang lain melakukan kejahatan yang sama, lalu semakin jauh tersasar daripada dharma.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked rāga (passionate craving) drives a person into adharma—stealing others’ wealth, violating others’ marital rights, and indulging in intoxicants and meat—and the fall worsens when one rationalizes these acts by citing śāstra and persuading others to imitate them.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhīṣma warns Yudhiṣṭhira about the moral collapse caused by attachment: the addicted person not only commits transgressions but also spreads them by presenting misleading “scriptural” endorsements.