Shloka 3
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
नहि तत्र धनं स्फीतं न च सम्बन्धिबान्धवा: । तिष्ठन्ति यत्र सुहृदस्तिष्ठन्तीति मतिर्मम,मेरी तो यह धारणा है कि जिस स्थानपर सुहृद् खड़े होते हैं वहाँ न तो प्रचुर धन काम दे सकता है और न सम्बन्धी तथा बन्धु-बान्धव ही ठहर सकते हैं
nahi tatra dhanaṃ sphītaṃ na ca sambandhi-bāndhavāḥ | tiṣṭhanti yatra suhṛdas tiṣṭhantīti matir mama ||
“This is my conviction: where true well-wishers take their stand, neither abundant wealth nor even one’s relatives and kinsmen can truly remain or avail.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira teaches that genuine well-wishers (suhṛd) are more reliable than wealth or mere kinship; in decisive ethical moments, true support comes from goodwill and virtue rather than money or blood-ties.
In the reflective, instruction-oriented setting of the Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a personal conviction about human support systems: prosperity and family connections may fail to ‘stand by’ someone, whereas true friends and well-wishers are the ones who remain steadfast.