Shloka 8
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
धर्मो राजन् गुण: श्रेष्ठो मध्यमो हार्थ उच्यते । कामो यवीयानिति च प्रवदन्ति मनीषिण:,राजन! धर्म ही श्रेष्ठ गुण है, अर्थको मध्यम बताया जाता है और काम सबकी अपेक्षा लघु है; ऐसा मनीषी पुरुष कहते हैं
dharmo rājan guṇaḥ śreṣṭho madhyamo hy artha ucyate | kāmo yavīyān iti ca pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ ||
قال فيدورا: «أيها الملك، في مقاصد الحياة وخصالها الهادية، تُعلَن الدهرما أرفعَها. ويُقال إن الأرثا (الرخاء وتدبير الملك) في المنزلة الوسطى. وأما الكاما (الشهوة واللذة) فهي أدناها. هكذا حكمُ الحكماء بعد نظرٍ ورويّة.»
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse ranks human aims: Dharma is supreme, Artha is secondary, and Kāma is the least. Ethical duty and righteousness should govern the pursuit of wealth and pleasure, not the other way around.
Vidura addresses a king and offers counsel in the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, presenting a normative principle for governance and personal conduct: the ruler (and all people) should prioritize Dharma above material gain and sensual desire.