Shloka 5
अध्याय ३३१: नारायणकथा-प्रशंसा तथा नारदस्य श्वेतद्वीप-निवृत्ति एवं बदरी-आगमनम् | Chapter 331: Praise of the Nārāyaṇa Narrative; Nārada’s Return from Śvetadvīpa and Arrival at Badarī
द्रव्येषु समतीतेषु ये गुणास्तान् न चिन्तयेत् । न तानाद्रियमाणस्य स्नेहबन्ध: प्रमुच्यते,जो वस्तु भूतकालके गर्भमें छिप गयी (नष्ट हो गयी), उसके गुणोंका स्मरण नहीं करना चाहिये; क्योंकि जो आदरपूर्वक उसके गुणोंका चिन्तन करता है, उसका उसके प्रति आसक्तिका बन्धन नहीं छूटता है
dravyeṣu samatīteṣu ye guṇās tān na cintayet | na tān ādrīyamāṇasya snehabandhaḥ pramucyate ||
Nārada said: When possessions have passed away, one should not dwell on their former qualities. For if a person keeps honoring and contemplating those qualities, the bond of attachment to them is not released.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not repeatedly recall and praise the qualities of things that are already gone; such recollection keeps attachment (sneha) alive and prevents inner release.
Nārada is giving counsel in the Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, emphasizing mental discipline: letting the past remain past so that attachment does not continue through memory and admiration.