Shloka 17
Adhyāya 283: Varṇa-vṛtti, Nyāya-ārjana, and the Decline-and-Restoration of Dharma (वर्णवृत्तिः न्यायार्जनं च)
अपूज्यपूजनाच्चैव पूज्यानां चाप्यपूजनात् | नूघातकसमं पापं शश्चवत् प्राप्नोति मानव:,यह बात ध्यानमें आते ही दधीचि यज्ञशालासे अलग हो गये और दूर जाकर कहने लगे --'सज्जनो! अपूजनीय पुरुषकी पूजा करनेसे और पूजनीय महापुरुषकी पूजा न करनेसे मनुष्य सदा ही नरहत्याके समान पापका भागी होता है
apūjya-pūjanāc caiva pūjyānāṃ cāpy apūjanāt | nṛghātaka-samaṃ pāpaṃ śaśvat prāpnoti mānavaḥ ||
अपूज्यपूजनाच्चैव पूज्यानां चाप्यपूजनात् । नरघातकसमं पापं शाश्वतं प्राप्नोति मानवः ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Honor must be directed toward the truly worthy, and neglect of the worthy is a serious moral failure. The verse equates both misdirected reverence (honoring the unworthy) and omission of due reverence (not honoring the worthy) with extremely grave sin, emphasizing discernment (viveka) in social and spiritual conduct.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, states a general ethical principle within the Shānti Parva’s dharma-discourse: social and religious acts of honoring are not neutral; they carry moral weight depending on the recipient’s worthiness. The verse functions as a warning about the consequences of distorted values and improper prioritization of reverence.