Shloka 24
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
नाक्षै्दीव्येन्नाददीतान्यवित्तं न वायोनीयस्य शत प्रगृह्नात् | क्रुद्धो न चैव प्रहरेत धीमां- स्तथास्य तत्पाणिपादं सुगुप्तम्
nākṣair dīvyen nādadītāny avittaṁ na vāyonyasya śataṁ pragṛhṇāt | kruddho na caiva praharet dhīmāṁs tathāsya tat-pāṇipādaṁ suguptham ||
قال كَبِيلَا: «لا ينبغي للحكيم أن يقامر بالنرد، ولا أن يأخذ مالًا لم يُعطَ له، ولا أن يقبل ولو مئة هدية من دنيء السلوك، وإذا غضب فلا يضرب أحدًا. فبمثل هذا الكفّ تُصان يداه وقدماه صونًا حسنًا—فتُحفظان من الإثم وعواقبه.»
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kapila teaches restraint in four key areas: avoid gambling, avoid taking what is not rightfully given, avoid accepting tainted gifts from immoral people, and avoid violence driven by anger. Such discipline protects one’s ‘hands and feet’—the instruments of action—from wrongdoing and its karmic fallout.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Kapila is delivering ethical instruction. This verse lists practical prohibitions that define a wise person’s conduct, emphasizing how moral vigilance in everyday actions preserves one’s integrity.