Shloka 13
असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
संकल्पेषु निरारम्भो निराशो निर्ममो भव | अशोकं स्थानमातिष्ठ इह चामुत्र चाव्ययम्
saṅkalpeṣu nirārambho nirāśo nirmamo bhava | aśokaṁ sthānam ātiṣṭha iha cāmutra cāvyayam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “In matters of desire and planning, do not rush into grand undertakings. Be free from expectation and free from possessiveness. Take refuge in that sorrowless state which is imperishable—here in this world and in the world beyond.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cultivate inner renunciation: avoid launching ego-driven or desire-driven enterprises, abandon expectation of results (nirāśā) and possessiveness (nirmamatā), and abide in the imperishable, griefless spiritual state that remains steady in both this life and the next.
Within the Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a counsel of restraint and detachment, emphasizing a shift from outward striving and attachment toward a stable, sorrowless, enduring state aligned with dharma and liberation.