Shloka 24
आत्मदर्शन-उपदेशः (Ātma-darśana Upadeśa) — Mind, Senses, and the All-pervading Self
इतरेष्वागमाद् धर्म: पादशस्त्ववरोप्यते । चौर्यकानृतमायाभिर धर्म श्वोपचीयते
itareṣv āgamād dharmaḥ pādaśas tv avaropyate | cauryakānṛtamāyābhir dharmaḥ śvopacīyate ||
Sinabi ni Vyāsa: Sa mga huling panahon, ang dharma ay nababawasan nang paisa-isang hakbang, na wari’y inaalis ang bawat isang-kapat nito. Sa pamamagitan ng pagnanakaw, kasinungalingan, at panlilinlang, ang dharma ay ibinababa hanggang sa antas ng aso—pinapakain at pinananatili na lamang sa isang hamak na anyo.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma does not collapse all at once; it erodes gradually. When theft, lying, and deceit become common, righteousness survives only in a debased, token form rather than as a guiding moral order.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on kingship and moral order, Vyāsa comments on the progressive decline of dharma across successive ages, describing how unethical practices steadily lower society’s standards.