Shloka 5
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
विदुर उवाच बाहुश्रुत्यं तपस्त्याग: श्रद्धा यज्ञक्रिया क्षमा । भावशुद्धिर्दया सत्यं संयमश्चात्मसम्पद:,विदुरजी बोले--राजन्! बहुत-से शास्त्रोंका अनुशीलन, तपस्या, त्याग, श्रद्धा, यज्ञकर्म, क्षमा, भावशुद्धि, दया, सत्य और संयम--ये सब आत्माकी सम्पत्ति हैं
vidura uvāca bāhuśrutyaṁ tapas tyāgaḥ śraddhā yajñakriyā kṣamā | bhāvaśuddhir dayā satyaṁ saṁyamaś cātmasampadaḥ ||
Vidura said: O King, wide learning in the scriptures, austerity, renunciation, faith, the performance of sacrificial duties, forbearance, purity of inner disposition, compassion, truthfulness, and self-restraint—these are the true riches of the self.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura defines 'ātma-sampad'—the inner wealth of a person—as a set of virtues: learning grounded in scripture, disciplined austerity, renunciation, faith, dutiful sacred action, forgiveness, purity of intention, compassion, truthfulness, and self-restraint. The emphasis is that real prosperity is moral and spiritual, not external.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Vidura addresses the king and enumerates the qualities that constitute a noble inner character. The verse functions as a concise ethical catalogue within a larger discourse on righteous conduct and peace after conflict.