Shloka 55
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
देवता ब्राह्मणा: सन््तो यक्षा मानुषचारणा: । धार्मिकान् पूजयन्तीह न धनाढ्यान् न कामिन:
devatā brāhmaṇāḥ santaḥ yakṣā mānuṣa-cāraṇāḥ | dhārmikān pūjayantīha na dhanāḍhyān na kāminaḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: „Götter, Brahmanen, wahrhaft Heilige, Yakshas, Menschen und die Charanas — sie alle ehren in dieser Welt die Rechtschaffenen. Nicht verehren sie die bloß Reichen, noch jene, die von Begierde getrieben sind.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True honor in society—among divine beings, sages, and humans alike—naturally goes to those grounded in dharma. Wealth and sensual indulgence, by themselves, do not merit reverence; ethical character does.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a didactic sequence on values and conduct, emphasizing that social and cosmic approval aligns with righteousness rather than with mere prosperity or pleasure.