Shloka 22

Devanagari script

त्रैवार्षिकादू यदा भक्तादथिकं स्याद्‌ द्विजस्य तु | यजेत तेन द्रव्येण न वृथा साधयेद्‌ धनम्‌,जब ब्राह्मणके पास तीन वर्षतक निर्वाह होनेसे अधिक धन एकत्र हो जाय तब वह उस धनसे यज्ञ करे। धनका व्यर्थ संग्रह न करे

Transliteration

traivārṣikād ū yadā bhaktād adhikaṃ syād dvijasya tu | yajeta tena dravyeṇa na vṛthā sādhayed dhanam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “When a twice-born man finds that his provisions exceed what is needed for three years of maintenance, he should employ that surplus in sacrifice and sacred giving, rather than accumulating wealth without purpose.”

Word by Word

त्रैवार्षिकात्from (the limit of) three years' (subsistence)

यदाwhen

भक्तात्from sustenance/maintenance (food-allowance)

अधिकम्more; excess

स्यात्should be / may arise

द्विजस्यof a twice-born (brahmin)

तुindeed; but

यजेतhe should perform a sacrifice

तेनwith that

द्रव्येणwith wealth/substance

नnot

वृथाin vain; uselessly

साधयेत्he should accumulate/bring about

धनम्wealth

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Dvija (twice-born)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Do not hoard wealth beyond reasonable security; if one has surplus beyond three years’ maintenance, it should be redirected into yajña and dharmic distribution, turning private excess into public and spiritual good.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially norms of conduct and right use of wealth), he sets a practical limit for accumulation and prescribes sacrifice/charitable religious use for surplus, framing wealth as a trust to be used purposefully.