Shloka 18
Kāpavya-carita (कापव्यचरित) — Reforming Dasyus through Regulated Rāja-Dharma
देवताश्न विकर्मस्थं पातयन्ति नराधमम् | व्याजेन विन्दन वित्त हि धर्मात् स परिहीयते
bhīṣma uvāca | devatāś ca vikarmasthaṃ pātayanti narādhamam | vyājena vindan vittaṃ hi dharmāt sa parihīyate ||
毗湿摩说道：“诸天也会将那执迷于非义之行的最卑劣之人打入地狱。因此，以欺诈与托辞攫取财富者，必将背离法（dharma），失却正义。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth gained through deceit (vyāja) is ethically corrupting: it separates a person from dharma. Persistent unrighteous action (vikarma) leads to moral and spiritual downfall, described here as being cast into hell by the upholders of cosmic order (the devatās).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhishma warns Yudhishthira about the consequences of adharma. He states that divine forces punish those who remain engaged in wrongful conduct, and he specifically condemns acquiring wealth through trickery as a cause of falling away from dharma.