प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च जना न विदुरासुराः ।न शौचं नापि चाचारो न सत्यं तेषु विद्यते ॥
pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ |na śaucaṃ nāpi cācāro na satyaṃ teṣu vidyate ||
- प्रवृत्तिम् · pravṛttim
- right engagement, what to do
- निवृत्तिम् · nivṛttim
- right restraint, what to refrain from
- जनाः · janāḥ
- people
- न विदुः · na viduḥ
- do not know
- आसुराः · āsurāḥ
- of demoniac nature
- शौचम् · śaucam
- cleanliness
- आचारः · ācāraḥ
- good conduct
- सत्यम् · satyam
- truth
- तेषु · teṣu
- in them
- विद्यते · vidyate
- is found
“People of demoniac nature know neither right engagement nor right restraint — neither cleanliness nor good conduct nor truth is found in them.”
— Original plain-language translation
The root defect is blindness to dharma's two faces: when to act and when to hold back. Outer impurity follows inner confusion. Truthfulness fails first, and conduct follows speech downward.
— Reader's notes (original)