Shloka 20
कपिल–स्यूमरश्मि संवादः
Kapila and Syūmaraśmi on Renunciation, Householder Support, and Epistemic Authority
प्रणष्ट: शाश्वृतो धर्मस्त्वनाचारेण मोहित: । तेन वैद्यस्तपस्वी वा बलवान् वा विमुहयते
praṇaṣṭaḥ śāśvato dharmas tv anācāreṇa mohitaḥ | tena vaidyaḥ tapasvī vā balavān vā vimuhyate ||
“O dharma eterno parece como que perdido quando é obscurecido pela má conduta e pela prática errada. Sob essa ilusão, até um homem instruído, um asceta ou um poderoso é desencaminhado.”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely a doctrine to be known; it must be protected through right conduct (ācāra). When conduct becomes corrupt, even the ‘eternal’ dharma appears lost, and people who seem qualified—learned, ascetic, or powerful—can still fall into moral confusion.
Tulādhāra is instructing his interlocutor in the Shānti Parva, emphasizing that ethical clarity depends on lived practice. He warns that social and personal misconduct can cloud judgment so deeply that even respected figures may be misled.