Shloka 55
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
देवता ब्राह्मणा: सन््तो यक्षा मानुषचारणा: । धार्मिकान् पूजयन्तीह न धनाढ्यान् न कामिन:
devatā brāhmaṇāḥ santaḥ yakṣā mānuṣa-cāraṇāḥ | dhārmikān pūjayantīha na dhanāḍhyān na kāminaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Deities, Brahmins, true saints, Yakshas, human beings, and the Charanas—all of them in this world honor those who are righteous. They do not revere the merely wealthy, nor those driven by sensual desire.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True honor in society—among divine beings, sages, and humans alike—naturally goes to those grounded in dharma. Wealth and sensual indulgence, by themselves, do not merit reverence; ethical character does.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a didactic sequence on values and conduct, emphasizing that social and cosmic approval aligns with righteousness rather than with mere prosperity or pleasure.