Shloka 48
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
स तानाह न मे धर्मो नश्येदिति पुनर्मुनीन् । यो हाधर्मेण वै ब्रूयाद् गृल्लीयाद् यो5प्यधर्मत:
sa tān āha na me dharmo naśyed iti punar munīn | yo hādharmena vai brūyād gṛllīyād yo 'py adharmataḥ ||
स तानाह न मे धर्मो नश्येदिति पुनर्मुनीन् । यो हाधर्मेण वै ब्रूयाद् गृल्लीयाद् योऽप्यधर्मतः ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that dharma is preserved not only by good intentions but by righteous means: speaking or acting through adharma—especially through dishonest speech or greedy grasping—undermines one’s moral standing and leads to ethical downfall.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, a speaker addresses sages again, expressing concern that his dharma should not be compromised, and he frames this by condemning unrighteous speech and unrighteous acquisition as threats to dharma.