Shloka 17
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
काषायवसनाश्रान्ये श्मश्रुला हीनिषेविण: । विद्वांसश्वैव शान्ताश्न मुक्ता: सर्वपरिग्रहै:
arjuna uvāca | kāṣāyavasanāś cānye śmaśrulā hīniṣevinaḥ | vidvāṃsaś caiva śāntāś ca muktāḥ sarvaparigrahaiḥ ||
قال أرجونا: «لقد رأيتُ حتى رجالًا من أهل العلم—هادئين، متحكّمين في أنفسهم، لابسين ثياب الكاشايا ذات اللون المغرّي، ذوي لحىً وشارب، يقتاتون بالقليل، متحرّرين من كلّ تملّك—ومع ذلك يضمرون رغبةً في الثروة».
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External signs of renunciation—ochre robes, austerity, learning, and even apparent freedom from possessions—do not by themselves guarantee inner detachment; the subtle desire for wealth can persist unless craving is truly uprooted.
Arjuna raises a reflective doubt within the Shanti Parva discourse: he observes that even those who appear to be ideal ascetics and wise men may still harbor longing for wealth, highlighting the difficulty of conquering desire.