Shloka 5
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
विदुर उवाच बाहुश्रुत्यं तपस्त्याग: श्रद्धा यज्ञक्रिया क्षमा । भावशुद्धिर्दया सत्यं संयमश्चात्मसम्पद:
vidura uvāca bāhuśrutyaṁ tapas tyāgaḥ śraddhā yajñakriyā kṣamā | bhāvaśuddhir dayā satyaṁ saṁyamaś cātmasampadaḥ ||
বিদুর বললেন—হে রাজন! বহু শাস্ত্র অধ্যয়ন, তপস্যা, ত্যাগ, শ্রদ্ধা, যজ্ঞকর্ম, ক্ষমা, অন্তঃকরণের শুদ্ধতা, দয়া, সত্য এবং সংযম—এ সবই আত্মার ধন।
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura defines 'ātma-sampad'—the inner wealth of a person—as a set of virtues: learning grounded in scripture, disciplined austerity, renunciation, faith, dutiful sacred action, forgiveness, purity of intention, compassion, truthfulness, and self-restraint. The emphasis is that real prosperity is moral and spiritual, not external.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vidura addresses the king and enumerates the qualities that constitute a noble inner character. The verse functions as a concise ethical catalogue within a larger discourse on righteous conduct and peace after conflict.