Shloka 15
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)
न तत् कुलं न चाचारो न धर्मो<र्थ: कुतः सुखम् । यत्र पापसहायो<यं पापो राज्यं चिकीर्षति,जहाँ पापियोंकी ही सहायतासे यह पापाचारी राज्य करना चाहता है वहाँ हमलोगोंके कुल, आचार, धर्म और अर्थ भी नहीं रह सकते, फिर सुख तो रह ही कैसे सकता है?
na tat kulaṃ na cācāro na dharmo 'rthaḥ kutaḥ sukham | yatra pāpa-sahāyo 'yaṃ pāpo rājyaṃ cikīrṣati ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Onde este homem pecaminoso, amparado por outros pecadores, busca reinar, não podem permanecer nem linhagem nobre nem reta conduta; o dharma se perde, e até o bem-estar material se desfaz; como, então, poderia haver felicidade?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A polity led by a wicked ruler and sustained by wicked allies destroys the foundations of life—lineage and social integrity (kula), proper conduct (ācāra), righteousness (dharma), and prosperity (artha); without these, happiness (sukha) is impossible.
Vaiśampāyana comments on the moral collapse that follows when power is pursued and maintained through sinful support: the very conditions that uphold a stable and happy society are undermined, making true welfare unattainable.