Shloka 23
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
लोष्टकाज्चनतुल्यार्था: सुहृत्सु दृढबुद्धय: । ये चरन्त्यभिमानानि सृष्टार्थमनुषज्धिण:
loṣṭa-kāñcana-tulyārthāḥ suhṛtsu dṛḍha-buddhayaḥ | ye caranty abhimānāni sṛṣṭārtham anuṣaj-dhiṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Those steadfast in understanding, who regard a clod of earth and gold as of equal worth, remain firm and well-disposed among friends. They move through life without clinging to self-importance, living in accordance with the purpose for which beings are set in the world—free from possessiveness and pride.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises equanimity and inner steadiness: a wise person values gold and a clod alike, remains stable in relationships, and avoids ego-driven pride and possessiveness. Such detachment supports dharmic living and freedom from agitation caused by gain, loss, honor, or insult.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he describes the marks of the steady-minded and ethically mature person—one who is not swayed by wealth and who does not act from abhimāna (ego), thereby living calmly and rightly in society.