Shloka 23
अस्मिंस्तु वै विनिर्वत्ते दुर्लभे परमप्रिये । इह कामानवाप्रोति प्रत्यक्ष नात्र संशय:,धन अत्यन्त प्रिय और दुर्लभ वस्तु है। इसकी प्राप्ति अथवा सिद्धि हो जानेपर मनुष्य संसारमें अपनी सम्पूर्ण कामनाएँ पूर्ण कर सकता है, इसका सभीको प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव है-- इसमें संशय नहीं है
asmiṁstu vai vinirvṛtte durlabhe paramapriye | iha kāmān avāpnoti pratyakṣaṁ nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “When that exceedingly dear and hard-to-obtain thing—wealth—has been secured, a person can, here in the world, attain the objects of desire. This is directly evident to all; there is no doubt about it.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a pragmatic truth of worldly life: wealth, though rare and dearly sought, functions as a powerful means for fulfilling desires. Ethically, it points to the role of artha as an instrument—effective in the world—while implicitly inviting reflection on how such means should be governed by dharma.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana continues explaining worldly realities to support a broader teaching on right conduct and governance. Here he states that once wealth is obtained, people can accomplish their aims in society, and that this is a matter of common, direct experience.