Shloka 3
Adhyāya 122 — Śruta-vṛtta-yukta Brāhmaṇa and the Ethics of Dāna
Maitreya–Vyāsa Saṃvāda
जानामि पापै: स्वकृतैर्गतं त्वां कीट कीटताम् । अवाप्स्यसि पुनर्धर्म धर्म तु यदि मन्यसे
jānāmi pāpaiḥ svakṛtair gataṃ tvāṃ kīṭa kīṭatām | avāpsyasi punar dharma dharma tu yadi manyase ||
ویاس نے کہا—میں جانتا ہوں کہ اپنے ہی کیے ہوئے گناہوں کے سبب تم کیڑے کی حالت میں جا پڑے ہو۔ تاہم اگر تم اب بھی دھرم کو مانتے اور اسے حجّت و سند سمجھتے ہو تو تم پھر دھرم کو پا لو گے۔
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongdoing brings self-caused downfall (even to a degraded birth), but moral restoration remains possible if one still recognizes dharma and chooses to realign one’s conduct with it.
Vyāsa addresses someone who has fallen into a worm-like condition due to their own sins, affirming his knowledge of the cause and offering a conditional assurance: dharma can be regained if the person still accepts dharma as a guiding principle.