Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 266
स ददाति मनुष्येभ्य: स एवाक्षिपते पुन: । पुण्यात्मा और शरणागतवत्सल तो वे इतने हैं कि शरणमें आये हुए किसी प्राणीका त्याग नहीं करते। वे ही मनुष्योंको आयु
sa dadāti manuṣyebhyaḥ sa evākṣipate punaḥ | puṇyātmāḥ śaraṇāgatavatsalāś ca te itthaṃ śaraṇam āgatam api kaṃcana prāṇinaṃ na tyajanti | te eva manuṣyān āyuḥ ārogyaṃ aiśvaryaṃ dhanaṃ ca samastāḥ kāmanāś ca pradadati te eva punaḥ tāni apaharanti |
Vāyu-deva said: He is the one who grants to human beings, and He alone again takes away. So virtuous and tender toward those who seek refuge is He that He never abandons any living creature who has come to Him for shelter. It is He who bestows upon people lifespan, health, sovereignty, wealth, and the fulfillment of desires—and it is He who, in due course, withdraws them again. The teaching is to recognize divine sovereignty over gain and loss and to take refuge without resentment when fortunes change.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
All worldly endowments—life, health, prosperity, wealth, and desired enjoyments—are granted by the Supreme and can be withdrawn by Him; therefore one should cultivate surrender, gratitude, and equanimity rather than pride in gain or bitterness in loss.
Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener about the Lord’s compassionate nature toward those who seek refuge and about the Lord’s ultimate control over human fortunes, emphasizing that divine giving and taking are part of a larger moral and cosmic order.