Shloka 41
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
धर्ममेकेडभिपद्यन्ते कल्याणाभिजना नरा: । परत्र सुखमिच्छन्तो निर्विद्येयुश्न लौकिकात्
dharmam eke ’bhipadyante kalyāṇābhijanā narāḥ | paratra sukham icchanto nirvidyeyuś ca laukikāt ||
Bhishma said: Only a few men, born in noble and virtuous families, take refuge in dharma. Seeking happiness in the world beyond, they grow disenchanted with worldly pursuits and withdraw from ordinary secular engagements.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True commitment to dharma is rare: only a few, endowed with virtuous disposition and noble upbringing, prioritize the welfare of the hereafter and therefore develop dispassion toward worldly aims and activities.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he characterizes human tendencies: most remain absorbed in worldly business, while only a small number turn toward dharma and withdraw from secular pursuits in pursuit of higher, otherworldly happiness.