Shloka 8
Doṣa-Parīkṣā and Guṇa-Viveka
Examination of Faults and Discernment of the Guṇas
दुःखमर्था हि युज्यन्ते पालनेन च ते सुखम् । दुःखेन चाधिगम्यन्ते नाशमेषां न चिन्तयेत्,विषयोंके उपार्जनमें दुःख है। उनकी रक्षामें भी तुम्हें सुख नहीं मिल सकता। दुःखसे ही उनकी उपलब्धि होती है; अतः उनका नाश हो जाय तो चिन्ता नहीं करनी चाहिये
duḥkham arthā hi yujyante pālanena ca te sukham | duḥkhena cādhigamyante nāśam eṣāṃ na cintayet ||
Bhishma said: Worldly possessions are indeed acquired through hardship, and even in guarding them there is no real happiness. Since they are obtained only by suffering, one should not grieve if they are lost; their destruction is not worth anxious thought.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth and possessions are inseparable from hardship: they are gained with pain and guarded with anxiety, so their loss should not become a cause of grief. The ethical point is to cultivate detachment and steadiness rather than bondage to acquisition and protection.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, Bhishma advises the listener about the nature of worldly goods, emphasizing that attachment to material gain leads to suffering and that one should remain untroubled by their destruction.