प्रनष्टः शाश्वतो धर्मः सदाचारेण मोहितः । तेन वैद्यस्तपस्वी वा बलवान्वा विमोह्यते ॥
pranaṣṭaḥ śāśvato dharmaḥ sadācāreṇa mohitaḥ | tena vaidyastapasvī vā balavānvā vimohyate ||
The eternal dharma has been lost, bewildered by [what passes for] good custom; by this a learned man, an ascetic, or a powerful one is led astray.
सनातन धर्म [तथाकथित] सदाचार से भ्रमित होकर लुप्त हो गया है; इसी से विद्वान, तपस्वी या बलवान भी भटक जाता है।
Meaning today and contextआज के लिए अर्थ और संदर्भ
Knowledge, austerity and power do not protect us from confusing habit with goodness. What everyone does may not be what is right.
विद्या, तप और शक्ति हमें आदत को अच्छाई समझने की भूल से नहीं बचाते। जो सब करते हैं, वह ज़रूरी नहीं कि सही हो।
Tulādhāra, the merchant of Vārāṇasī, speaking to the proud ascetic Jājali (Bhīṣma narrates to Yudhiṣṭhira) (12.254.21). He begins to say that custom can obscure real dharma. The line is compressed and read in more than one way.