Shloka 12
निर्वेदोपदेशः (Nirveda-Upadeśa) — Maṅki’s Dispassion and the Limits of Wealth-Seeking
चतुर्विधा हार्थसिद्धिर्ब्हस्पतिमतं यथा । पारम्पर्य तथा दैवं काम्य॑ मैत्रमिति प्रभो
caturvidhā hārthasiddhir bṛhaspatimataṃ yathā | pāramparyaṃ tathā daivaṃ kāmyaṃ maitraṃ iti prabho ||
Bhīṣma said: “O lord, according to the teaching attributed to Bṛhaspati, the attainment of material success is of four kinds: that which comes through family lineage and inherited continuity, that which comes by destiny’s favor, that which is gained through desire-driven efforts undertaken for wealth, and that which arises through the support of friends.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material success (arthasiddhi) is explained as arising from four sources: inherited lineage (pāramparya), destiny/providence (daiva), desire-driven wealth-seeking effort (kāmya), and the aid of friends/allies (maitra). The verse frames artha as multi-causal—part social, part fated, part effort-based, and part relational.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and practical ethics after the war. Here he cites Bṛhaspati’s counsel to classify how rulers and people typically obtain prosperity, emphasizing that policy must account for inheritance, fortune, personal striving, and alliances.