Shloka 17
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
काषायवसनाश्रान्ये श्मश्रुला हीनिषेविण: । विद्वांसश्वैव शान्ताश्न मुक्ता: सर्वपरिग्रहै:,सब प्रकारके संग्रहसे रहित, संकोचशील, शान्त, गेरुआ वस्त्रधारी, दाढ़ी-मूँछ बढ़ाये विद्वान् पुरुष भी धनकी अभिलाषा करते देखे गये हैं। कुछ दूसरे प्रकारके ऐसे लोग हैं जो स्वर्ग पानेकी इच्छा रखते हैं; और कुलपरम्परागत नियमोंका पालन करते हुए अपने-अपने वर्ण तथा आश्रमके धर्मोंका अनुष्ठान कर रहे हैं; किंतु वे भी धनकी इच्छा रखते हैं
arjuna uvāca | kāṣāyavasanāś cānye śmaśrulā hīniṣevinaḥ | vidvāṃsaś caiva śāntāś ca muktāḥ sarvaparigrahaiḥ ||
Arjuna said: “I have seen even learned men—quiet, self-restrained, clad in ochre robes, wearing beard and moustache, living on scant fare, and free from every kind of possession—still cherishing a desire for wealth.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External signs of renunciation—ochre robes, austerity, learning, and even apparent freedom from possessions—do not by themselves guarantee inner detachment; the subtle desire for wealth can persist unless craving is truly uprooted.
Arjuna raises a reflective doubt within the Shanti Parva discourse: he observes that even those who appear to be ideal ascetics and wise men may still harbor longing for wealth, highlighting the difficulty of conquering desire.