Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 126
कालयुक्तधर्मविवेकः
Discerning Dharma in Accord with Time
स्वभाग्यान्युपजीवन्ति ते नरा: स्वर्गगामिन: । जो सदा अपने ही धनसे संतुष्ट रहकर चोरी-चमारीसे अलग रहते हैं तथा जो अपने भाग्यपर ही भरोसा रखकर जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं, वे मनुष्य स्वर्गगामी होते हैं
svabhāgyāny upajīvanti te narāḥ svargagāminaḥ |
Maheshvara said: Those people who sustain themselves by their own allotted fortune—remaining content with what is rightfully theirs and keeping away from theft and other wrongful means—are destined for heaven. The verse praises honest livelihood, self-restraint, and trust in one’s rightful share as a dharmic path leading to higher worlds.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person should live by honest means, be satisfied with what is rightfully obtained, and avoid theft or exploitation; such dharmic self-restraint and integrity are said to lead to Svarga.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused discourse, Śrīmaheśvara speaks a moral maxim: those who subsist on their own allotted fortune—without resorting to stealing—are described as heaven-bound.