Shloka 2
Virūpākṣa’s Dāna and Gautama’s Burden — the approach of Rājadharma
कण्टकान् कूपमरग्निं च वर्जयन्ति यथा नरा: । तथा नृशंसकर्माणं वर्जयन्ति नरा नरम्,जैसे मनुष्य रास्तेमें मिले हुए काँटों, कुओं और आगको बचाकर चलते हैं, उसी प्रकार मनुष्य नृशंस कर्म करनेवाले पुरुषको भी दूरसे ही त्याग देते हैं
kaṇṭakān kūpam agniṃ ca varjayanti yathā narāḥ | tathā nṛśaṃsakarmāṇaṃ varjayanti narā naram ||
మనుష్యులు దారిలో ఎదురైన ముల్లు, బావి, అగ్ని మొదలైనవాటిని ఎలా తప్పించుకుంటారో, అలాగే నృశంసకర్మలు చేసే మనిషిని కూడా ప్రజలు దూరం నుంచే వదిలివేస్తారు.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cruel action makes a person socially and morally hazardous; just as one instinctively avoids physical dangers, society naturally avoids those known for merciless deeds. The verse highlights the reputational and ethical consequence of nṛśaṃsatā (cruelty): it isolates the doer and marks him as a danger to others.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about moral conduct and its effects. Here he uses a simple road-side analogy—thorns, wells, and fire—to explain how people respond to a cruel person: they keep away, treating him like a peril to be avoided.