Shloka 16
Daṇḍa, Ahiṃsā, and Proportional Kingship: The Dyumatsena–Satyavān Dialogue (दण्ड-अहिंसा-विवेकः)
धर्मो भवति स क्षिप्रं प्रलापस्त्वेव साधुषु । अथैतानाहुरुन्मत्तानपि चावहसन्त्युत
dharmo bhavati sa kṣipraṃ pralāpastv eva sādhuṣu | athaitān āhur unmattān api cāvahasanti uta ||
玉提湿陀罗说：“所谓‘达摩’，在真正善人之中也很快被贬作空谈。于那样的时代，人们多半带着私利之心行持达摩；而当高贵之人身上显现出真实的正义时，迷妄者却把它当作无意义的絮语。他们甚至称那些义士为疯癫，并加以嘲弄。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma, when embodied by the virtuous, may be dismissed by the deluded as mere chatter; social approval is not a reliable measure of righteousness, especially when people act from self-interest.
In the reflective discourse of the Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira laments a moral climate where most practice dharma for personal gain, while genuinely righteous individuals are derided as foolish or insane.