Shloka 195
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
यश, राज्य, सुख, ऐश्वर्य, काम, अर्थ, धन और विद्याकी इच्छा रखनेवाले पुरुषोंको भक्तिभावका आश्रय लेकर यत्नपूर्वक इस स्तोत्रका श्रवण करना चाहिये ।। व्याधितो दुःखितो दीनश्लोरग्रस्तो भयार्दित: । राजकार्याभियुक्तो वा मुच्यते महतो भयात्,रोगी, दुखी, दीन, चोरके हाथमें पड़ा हुआ, भयभीत तथा राजकार्यका अपराधी मनुष्य भी इस स्तोत्रका पाठ करनेसे महान् भयसे छुटकारा पा जाता है
yaśaḥ rājyaṃ sukham aiśvaryaṃ kāmam arthaṃ dhanaṃ ca vidyāṃ ca icchantaḥ puruṣā bhaktibhāvam āśritya yatnapūrvakam asya stotrasya śravaṇaṃ kuryuḥ || vyādhito duḥkhito dīnaś coragrahasto bhayārditaḥ | rājkāryābhiyukto vā mucyate mahato bhayāt ||
Bhishma said: Men who seek fame, sovereignty, happiness, lordly power, desire’s fulfillment, material advantage, wealth, and learning should take refuge in a spirit of devotion and, with deliberate effort, listen to this hymn. Even one who is sick, afflicted with sorrow, destitute, seized by thieves, overwhelmed by fear, or accused in matters of royal administration is freed from great danger by reciting this hymn.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that devotional reliance (bhaktibhāva) combined with disciplined hearing or recitation of a sacred hymn functions as a dharmic refuge: it supports both worldly aims (prosperity, learning, authority) and protection in crises (illness, poverty, fear, legal peril).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma is describing the efficacy of a particular stotra, prescribing attentive listening/recitation and stating that it grants desired outcomes and delivers even distressed or endangered persons from great fear.