Shloka 4
निरय-परमस्थान-वर्णनम्
Niraya and the Supreme Station: A Metaphysical Re-reading
तत्राप्येवंविधा लोके वृत्ति: सत्यानृते भवेत् । धर्माधरमाँ प्रकाशश्न॒ तमो दुःखं सुखं तथा
tatrāpy evaṃvidhā loke vṛttiḥ satyānṛte bhavet | dharmādharmau prakāśaś ca tamo duḥkhaṃ sukhaṃ tathā ||
بھردواج نے کہا—دنیا میں بھی اسی طرح کا طریقِ عمل پہچاننا چاہیے: سچ اور جھوٹ ہی معیار بنتے ہیں—وہی دھرم اور اَدھرم کی صورت میں، وہی روشنی اور تاریکی کی صورت میں، اور اسی طرح غم اور خوشی کی صورت میں۔
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links ethical reality to truthfulness: truth and untruth are not merely statements but forces that manifest as dharma/adharma, clarity/obscurity, and ultimately happiness/suffering. It teaches that moral discernment begins with recognizing how truth aligns with light and well-being, while untruth aligns with darkness and distress.
Bharadvāja is instructing the listener within the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, framing a moral analysis of worldly conduct (vṛtti). He explains how fundamental opposites—truth/untruth—structure human life and are experienced as ethical and existential outcomes.