Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
अधर्म धर्मकामो हि करोति हाविचक्षण: । धर्म वाधर्मसंकाशं शोचन्निव करोति सः
adharma-dharma-kāmo hi karoti hāvicakṣaṇaḥ | dharma vādharmasaṅkāśaṃ śocann iva karoti saḥ ||
毗耶娑说:无辨识者,纵欲求达摩,亦常行非达摩;又有时如陷忧悲,所作似是达摩,实则近于非达摩。由于缺乏真正的明辨,他把过恶当作正义;反之,纵怀不正之意,也可能误打误撞而行正事。如此由无明驱使的紊乱行为,系缚有身者于反复的生与死。
व्यास उवाच
Without discernment (viveka), a person can commit adharma while believing it to be dharma, or perform dharma even while intending adharma. This confusion, rooted in ignorance, produces karmic bondage and perpetuates saṃsāra (repeated birth and death).
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa is explaining how moral error often arises not only from deliberate wickedness but from misjudgment—mistaking the nature of an act. He highlights the ethical danger of acting with unclear understanding and the spiritual consequence of such ignorance-driven action.