Shloka 45
कपिल–स्यूमरश्मि संवादः
Kapila and Syūmaraśmi on Renunciation, Householder Support, and Epistemic Authority
न मन्ये भ्रूणहत्यापि विशिष्टा तेन कर्मणा । कृषिं साध्विति मन्यन्ते सा च वृत्ति: सुदारुणा,मैं समझता हूँ कि उस क्रूर कर्मसे बढ़कर भ्रूणहत्याका पाप भी नहीं है। कुछ लोग खेतीको अच्छा मानते हैं, परंतु वह वृत्ति भी अत्यन्त कठोर है
na manye bhrūṇahatyāpi viśiṣṭā tena karmaṇā | kṛṣiṃ sādhv iti manyante sā ca vṛttiḥ sudāruṇā ||
Wika ni Tulādhāra: “Hindi ko itinuturing na mas mabigat pa, kaysa sa gawang iyon, maging ang pagpatay sa isang sanggol sa sinapupunan. Maaaring tawagin ng mga tao ang pagsasaka na ‘mabuting’ kabuhayan, ngunit ang hanapbuhay na iyon man ay lubhang malupit at mabagsik.”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse challenges conventional moral rankings by stressing that harm can be embedded in socially approved occupations. Tulādhāra questions the easy labeling of certain livelihoods as ‘good’ when they involve violence or cruelty, urging ethical scrutiny of everyday actions.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Tulādhāra is speaking as a moral teacher. He is critiquing common assumptions about sin and virtue, contrasting a universally condemned act (bhrūṇahatyā) with an accepted livelihood (agriculture) to highlight hidden violence in ordinary life.