Today's Vedika insight
28 August 2026 · Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva 13.114.8 (BORI/critical-edition numbering)
न तत् परस्य संदध्यात् प्रतिकूलं यदात्मनः । एष संक्षेपतो धर्मः कामादन्यः प्रवर्तते ॥ ८ ॥
na tat parasya saṃdadyāt pratikūlaṃ yad ātmanaḥ | eṣa saṃkṣepato dharmaḥ kāmād anyaḥ pravartate || 8 ||
“One should not impose on another what is adverse to oneself. This is dharma in brief; what is otherwise proceeds from desire.”
Vedika literal rendering, checked against the critical-edition Sanskrit text.
“Dharma asks us to interrupt self-serving action by considering how the same treatment would land upon another.”
Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva 13.114.8 (BORI/critical-edition numbering)
Vedika commentary
Desire easily makes our own convenience feel exceptional. Reciprocity challenges that bias: would I accept this burden, concealment or dismissal if positions were reversed? The test does not solve every dilemma, but it reveals many excuses before they harden into action.
Vedika distinguishes the original Sanskrit, a literal rendering, and an interpretive paraphrase so that the words of the text are never confused with explanation.
Source
Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva 13.114.8 (BORI/critical-edition numbering)
Traditional commentary
Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva 13.114.1–11; critical-edition numbering
Explanation
Vedika
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