Shloka 83
न विद्वान् विद्यया हीन॑ वृत्त्यर्थमुपसंश्रयेत् । कभी-कभी विद्वान् और मूर्ख दोनों एक-जैसे धनी दिखायी देते हैं। कभी खोटी बुद्धिवाले मनुष्य तो धनवान् हो जाते हैं (और अच्छी बुद्धि रखनेवाले मनुष्यको थोड़ा-सा धन भी नहीं मिलता)। यदि विद्या पढ़कर मनुष्य अवश्य ही सुख पा लेता तो विद्वानको जीविकाके लिये किसी मूर्ख धनीका आश्रय नहीं लेना पड़ता
na vidvān vidyayā hīnaṁ vṛttyartham upasaṁśrayet |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “A truly learned man should not, for the sake of livelihood, take refuge with one who is devoid of learning. Yet in the world it is often seen that the wise and the foolish appear equally wealthy; at times even those of corrupt understanding become rich, while the intelligent obtain scarcely any means. If mere study of knowledge inevitably produced happiness, then a learned person would never be compelled to depend for subsistence upon a wealthy fool.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between ideal conduct and worldly reality: learning and virtue do not always bring material security, and the wise may be forced into dependence on the wealthy but unwise. It implicitly critiques a social order where wealth does not reliably follow merit, and it urges reflection on what constitutes true well-being beyond mere riches.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking in a reflective, questioning mode, observing that in society the distribution of wealth often appears unjust—fools may prosper while the learned struggle. He uses this observation to argue that if knowledge automatically guaranteed happiness and prosperity, learned people would never need to seek support from rich but ignorant patrons.