Mahabharata 3.201.113 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 113
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
विदितार्थस्तु वेदानां परिवेद प्रयोजनम् । उद्विजेत् स तु वेदेभ्यो दावाग्नेरिव मानव:
viditārthas tu vedānāṃ pariveda prayojanam | udvijet sa tu vedebhyo dāvāgner iva mānavaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Kapag ang isang tao ay tunay na nakaunawa sa kahulugan ng mga Veda at ganap na natukoy ang kanilang tunay na layunin, ang nakaaalam ng Veda ay tumatalikod sa mga Vedang nagtatakda lamang ng mga gawaing ritwal—gaya ng paglayo ng mga tao sa nagngangalit na sunog sa kagubatan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that once one grasps the true aim of the Vedas—inner realization and right understanding—one naturally outgrows mere ritual injunctions (karma-kāṇḍa). Clinging to ritual alone then feels dangerous and limiting, like staying near a forest-fire.
Yudhiṣṭhira is reflecting on the hierarchy of spiritual pursuits: the Vedas guide action and duty, but their deeper intent points beyond ritual to insight. He uses the vivid image of people retreating from a wildfire to describe turning away from purely action-oriented Vedic prescriptions after realizing their ultimate purpose.
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