Shloka 17
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
काषायवसनाश्रान्ये श्मश्रुला हीनिषेविण: । विद्वांसश्वैव शान्ताश्न मुक्ता: सर्वपरिग्रहै:
arjuna uvāca | kāṣāyavasanāś cānye śmaśrulā hīniṣevinaḥ | vidvāṃsaś caiva śāntāś ca muktāḥ sarvaparigrahaiḥ ||
Arjuna sprach: „Ich habe sogar gelehrte Männer gesehen — still, selbstbeherrscht, in ockerfarbenen Gewändern, mit Bart und Schnurrbart, von karger Speise lebend und frei von jeder Habe —, die dennoch ein Verlangen nach Reichtum hegen.“
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External signs of renunciation—ochre robes, austerity, learning, and even apparent freedom from possessions—do not by themselves guarantee inner detachment; the subtle desire for wealth can persist unless craving is truly uprooted.
Arjuna raises a reflective doubt within the Shanti Parva discourse: he observes that even those who appear to be ideal ascetics and wise men may still harbor longing for wealth, highlighting the difficulty of conquering desire.