Shloka 21
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
अपि चेन्महतो वित्तान्न प्रमुच्येत पूरुष: । नैतन्ममेति तन्मत्वा कुर्वीत प्रियमात्मन:
api cen mahato vittān na pramucyeta pūruṣaḥ | na etan mama iti tan matvā kurvīta priyam ātmanaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Even if a man does not become separated from great wealth, he should still understand, “This is not truly mine,” and, with that insight, act for his own highest good.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when wealth remains with a person, one should cultivate non-possessiveness—seeing wealth as not truly ‘mine’—and thereby pursue one’s real welfare, i.e., righteous and spiritually beneficial conduct rather than attachment-driven living.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, Bhishma advises the listener that inner renunciation is essential: external possession of wealth need not be abandoned, but the sense of ownership should be, so that one acts for lasting good.