Shloka 7
नाथवन्तं तु सुहृद: प्रतिषेधन्ति पातकात् । निवर्तते तु लक्ष्मीवान् नालक्ष्मीवान् निवर्तते
nāthavantaṁ tu suhṛdaḥ pratiṣedhanti pātakāt | nivartate tu lakṣmīvān nālakṣmīvān nivartate ||
But a man who has protectors and well-wishers is restrained by his friends from sinful action. The fortunate one—he whose lot still includes the enjoyment of happiness—turns back when forbidden; the unfortunate does not turn back from that wrongdoing.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral restraint depends both on supportive guidance (well-wishers who forbid wrongdoing) and on one’s fortune/disposition: the fortunate heed good counsel and desist, while the ill-fated persist in sin despite warnings.
Kṛpa is speaking in the Sauptika Parva, offering a reflective, ethical observation: in moments when someone is inclined toward a sinful act, true friends try to stop him; whether he actually turns back is presented as a mark of good fortune versus misfortune.