Shloka 35
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
अवज्ञानसहसैस्तु दोषा: कष्टतरा5धने । धने सुखकला या तु सापि दु:खैरविधीयते
avajñāna-sahasais tu doṣāḥ kaṣṭatarā dhane | dhane sukha-kalā yā tu sāpi duḥkhair vidhīyate ||
Bhishma said: “A poor man must endure thousands upon thousands of humiliations; therefore, in poverty there are many grievous afflictions. And even the small measure of happiness that seems to belong to wealth is, in truth, brought about only through hardships.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights two linked truths: poverty brings repeated social humiliation and intense hardship, while even the pleasures associated with wealth are typically attained only through effort, strain, and suffering. The verse urges sober reflection on material conditions and the costs—social and personal—attached to them.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by reflecting on the lived realities of poverty and wealth, emphasizing the indignities faced by the poor and the hardship underlying worldly enjoyment.