Shloka 4
निरय-परमस्थान-वर्णनम्
Niraya and the Supreme Station: A Metaphysical Re-reading
तत्राप्येवंविधा लोके वृत्ति: सत्यानृते भवेत् । धर्माधरमाँ प्रकाशश्न॒ तमो दुःखं सुखं तथा
tatrāpy evaṃvidhā loke vṛttiḥ satyānṛte bhavet | dharmādharmau prakāśaś ca tamo duḥkhaṃ sukhaṃ tathā ||
ਭਰਦਵਾਜ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਲੋਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਇਹੋ ਜਿਹੀ ਰੀਤ ਪਛਾਣਨੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ: ਸੱਚ ਅਤੇ ਝੂਠ ਹੀ ਧਰਮ-ਅਧਰਮ ਦੇ ਮਾਪਦੰਡ ਬਣਦੇ ਹਨ; ਉਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਤੇ ਹਨੇਰਾ ਹਨ, ਅਤੇ ਉਹੀ ਦੁੱਖ ਤੇ ਸੁਖ ਵੀ।
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links ethical reality to truthfulness: truth and untruth are not merely statements but forces that manifest as dharma/adharma, clarity/obscurity, and ultimately happiness/suffering. It teaches that moral discernment begins with recognizing how truth aligns with light and well-being, while untruth aligns with darkness and distress.
Bharadvāja is instructing the listener within the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, framing a moral analysis of worldly conduct (vṛtti). He explains how fundamental opposites—truth/untruth—structure human life and are experienced as ethical and existential outcomes.