Shloka 13
Āśramadharma and the Marks of the Muni
Yayāti–Aṣṭaka Saṃvāda
यत् पृथिव्यां ब्रीहियवं हिरण्यं पशव: स्त्रिय: । एकस्यापि न पर्याप्तं तस्मात् तृष्णां परित्यजेत्,“इस पृथ्वीपर जितने भी धान, जौ, स्वर्ण, पशु और स्त्रियाँ हैं, वे सब एक मनुष्यके लिये भी पर्याप्त नहीं हैं। अतः तृष्णाका त्याग कर देना चाहिये
yat pṛthivyāṃ brīhiyavaṃ hiraṇyaṃ paśavaḥ striyaḥ | ekasyāpi na paryāptaṃ tasmāt tṛṣṇāṃ parityajet ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “All the rice and barley on this earth, all the gold, cattle, and women—none of it is sufficient even for a single person. Therefore one should renounce craving.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly goods and pleasures are inherently incapable of fully satisfying human desire; since craving (tṛṣṇā) is limitless, the ethical remedy is to abandon craving and cultivate contentment and restraint.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a general moral maxim is stated: even the total abundance of the earth—food, wealth, livestock, and objects of pleasure—cannot suffice for one person, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning against greed and attachment.