Shloka 28
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
एक: शर्त्रुर्न द्वितीयो<$स्ति शरत्रु- रज्ञानतुल्य: पुरुषस्य राजन । येनावृतः कुरुते सम्प्रयुक्तो घोराणि कर्माणि सुदारुणानि
ekaḥ śatrur na dvitīyo 'sti śatruḥ—ajñānatulyaḥ puruṣasya rājan | yenāvṛtaḥ kurute samprayukto ghorāṇi karmāṇi sudāruṇāni ||
Парашара сказал: «О царь, у человека есть лишь один истинный враг; нет второго, равного ему. Этот враг — неведение. Им заслонённый и им понуждаемый, человек начинает совершать деяния страшные и крайне жестокие».
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignorance (ajñāna) is presented as the single greatest enemy of a person, because it obscures discernment and drives one toward dreadful, cruel actions; ethical reform therefore begins with removing ignorance through right knowledge and clarity.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, the sage Parāśara addresses a king and delivers a moral warning: the real adversary is not external foes but the inner veil of ignorance that impels destructive conduct.