Shloka 38
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
सुचारुवेषाभिरलंकृताभि- मंदोत्कटाभि: प्रियदर्शनाभि: । रमस्व योषाभिरुपेत्य काम॑ कामो हि राजन् परमो भवेन्न:
sucāruveṣābhir alaṅkṛtābhir mandotkaṭābhiḥ priyadarśanābhiḥ | ramasva yoṣābhir upetya kāmaṃ kāmo hi rājan paramo bhaven naḥ ||
لذلك، أيها الملك! تمسّك بالكاما (اللذة/الرغبة) واطلب المتعة، واقترب ولاعب النساء ذوات الحُلَل الحسنة، المتزينات بالحُليّ، الحسنات المنظر، المفعمات بنشوة فتوة الشباب. فإنّا في هذا العالم، أيها الملك، ينبغي أن نعدّ الكاما أسمى خيرٍ لنا.
भीमयेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a kāma-centered viewpoint: it urges the king to treat sensual enjoyment as the highest aim. In the broader ethical landscape of the Śānti Parva, such a stance is typically presented as a position to be weighed against (and often subordinated to) dharma and self-restraint.
Bhīma addresses a king and offers counsel that emphasizes pleasure: he recommends enjoying the company of attractive, ornamented young women and explicitly claims that kāma should be considered supreme for ‘us’.