Shloka 31
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
उपभोगैरपि त्यक्तं नात्मानं सादयेन्नर: । चण्डालत्वेडपि मानुष्यं सर्वधा तात शोभनम्,तात! उपभोगके साधनोंसे वंचित होनेपर भी मनुष्य अपने-आपको हीन न समझे। चाण्डालकी योनिमें भी यदि मनुष्य-जन्म प्राप्त हो तो वह मानवेतर प्राणियोंकी अपेक्षा सर्वथा उत्तम है
upabhogair api tyaktaṁ nātmānaṁ sādayen naraḥ | caṇḍālatve ’pi mānuṣyaṁ sarvathā tāta śobhanam ||
Parāśara said: Even when deprived of comforts and enjoyments, a person should not abase himself. Dear one, even if human birth occurs in the condition of a caṇḍāla, humanity is in every way noble—superior to non-human forms of life.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not lose self-respect or sink into despair when pleasures and resources are absent; human birth itself is a precious basis for dharma and inner growth, regardless of social condition.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and wisdom, Parāśara addresses a listener as “tāta,” offering counsel that reframes hardship: deprivation and low social status should not lead to self-debasement, because the human condition remains uniquely valuable.