क्वचिद् गुणोऽपि दोष: स्याद् दोषोऽपि विधिना गुण: । गुणदोषार्थनियमस्तद्भिदामेव बाधते ॥ १६ ॥
kvacid guṇo ’pi doṣaḥ syād doṣo ’pi vidhinā guṇaḥ guṇa-doṣārtha-niyamas tad-bhidām eva bādhate
- kvacit
- sometimes
- guṇaḥ
- piety
- api
- even
- doṣaḥ
- sin
- syāt
- becomes
- doṣaḥ
- sin
- api
- also
- vidhinā
- on the strength of Vedic injunction
- guṇaḥ
- piety
- guṇa-doṣa
- to piety and sin
- artha
- regarding
- niyamaḥ
- restrictive regulation
- tat
- of them
- bhidām
- the distinction
- eva
- actually
- bādhate
- undoes
Sometimes piety becomes sin, and sometimes what is ordinarily sin becomes piety on the strength of Vedic injunctions. Such special rules in effect eradicate the clear distinction between piety and sin.