Shloka 19

Vasiṣṭha on Saṃsāra, Guṇas, and Misattributed Agency

Mahābhārata 12.292

Devanagari script

येडर्था धर्मेण ते सत्या येडधर्मेण घिगस्तु तान्‌ । धर्म वै शाश्व॒तं लोके न जह्माद्‌ धनकाड्क्षया,धर्मका पालन करते हुए ही जो धन प्राप्त होता है, वही सच्चा धन है। जो अधर्मसे प्राप्त होता है, वह धन तो धिककार देने योग्य है। संसारमें धनकी इच्छासे शाश्वत धर्मका त्याग कभी नहीं करना चाहिये

Transliteration

ye 'rthā dharmeṇa te satyā ye 'dharmeṇa dhig astu tān | dharmo vai śāśvataṁ loke na jahyād dhanākāṅkṣayā ||

Translation

Parāśara sprach: „Reichtum, der allein durch Dharma erworben wird, ist wahrer und verlässlicher Reichtum; Reichtum, der durch Adharma erlangt wird, verdient nur Verurteilung. Darum soll man niemals das ewige Dharma der Welt aus Gier nach Besitz preisgeben.“

Word by Word

• {'arthaḥ / arthāḥ': 'wealth, material gain

• also ‘means’ or ‘purpose’ (here: wealth/gains)', 'dharmeṇa': 'by dharma

• through righteous means', 'satyāḥ': 'true, genuine, trustworthy', 'adharmeṇa': 'by adharma

• through unrighteous means', 'dhik': 'shame! a term of censure/condemnation', 'astu': 'let it be

• may it be (expressing a wish/imperative nuance)', 'tān': 'those (gains/wealth) / them', 'dharmaḥ': 'righteousness, moral law, duty', 'vai': 'indeed, certainly (emphatic particle)', 'śāśvatam': 'eternal, enduring', 'loke': 'in the world

• among people', 'na jahyāt': 'should not abandon/renounce (optative sense: ‘one should not’)', 'dhana': 'wealth, money', 'ākāṅkṣayā': 'by desire/longing

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Only wealth acquired through dharma is ‘true’ and worthy; wealth gained through adharma is blameworthy. One must not sacrifice eternal dharma for the sake of greed or material desire.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and values, the sage Parāśara delivers a moral maxim: he contrasts righteous and unrighteous means of acquiring wealth and urges steadfast adherence to dharma despite the temptation of riches.