Shloka 27
Nīti for Calamity, Wealth, Friendship, Charity, and Restraint of Kāma
न देवेभ्यो न विप्रोभ्यो बन्धुभ्यो नैव चात्मने / कदर्यस्य धनं याति त्वग्नितस्करराजसु
na devebhyo na viprobhyo bandhubhyo naiva cātmane / kadaryasya dhanaṃ yāti tvagnitaskararājasu
Das Vermögen des Geizhalses nützt weder den Göttern noch den Brahmanen, weder den Verwandten noch ihm selbst; am Ende fällt es Hautkrankheiten, Feuer, Dieben und dem König zu.
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Miserliness blocks dharmic beneficiaries; the ‘fruit’ of hoarded wealth manifests as calamities—disease, fire, theft, and state extraction.
Vedantic Theme: Artha’s instability; karma as moral causality operating through worldly instruments; tyāga as antidote to bondage.
Application: Support religious/community obligations, family duties, and personal well-being; insure and safeguard, but primarily ‘safeguard’ through ethical use and giving.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: ethical instruction (general)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: lists of artha-vināśa causes and dāna-phalāni (thematic vicinity)
FAQs
This verse stresses that wealth gains meaning when shared—through offerings to the Devas and support of vipras/relatives—otherwise it is eventually lost through unavoidable forces like illness, fire, theft, or state exactions.
By implying that hoarding blocks merit (punya) creation; in Garuda Purana’s moral framework, the soul’s post-death condition is shaped by such choices, and unused wealth fails to become spiritual support.
Use wealth consciously: budget for charity/service, support learning and family duties, and avoid compulsive hoarding—since unshared wealth often disappears through medical costs, accidents, theft, or taxes.