Shloka 37
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
विस्तरा: क्लेशसंयुक्ता: संक्षेपास्तु सुखावहा: । परार्थ विस्तरा: सर्वे त्यागमात्महितं विदु:
parāśara uvāca | vistarāḥ kleśasaṁyuktāḥ saṁkṣepās tu sukhāvahāḥ | parārtha vistarāḥ sarve tyāgam ātmahitaṁ viduḥ ||
Parāśara said: Elaborate undertakings are bound up with strain and hardship, whereas simplicity brings ease. All expansions of activity tend toward ‘for another’s sake’—that is, toward the gratification of the mind and senses; but renunciation is understood to be truly beneficial for one’s own highest good.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Complex, expanded activity tends to generate suffering and is often driven by outward aims like pleasing the mind and senses; simplicity and especially renunciation are praised as truly beneficial for one’s inner welfare.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation-oriented conduct, the sage Parāśara delivers a concise maxim contrasting the burdens of elaborate action with the peace of simplicity, culminating in the ethical valuation of tyāga (renunciation).