Shloka 22
धन-राजधर्म संवादः
Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty
धनात् कुलं प्रभवति धनादू धर्म: प्रवर्धते । नाधनस्यास्त्ययं लोको न पर: पुरुषोत्तम
dhanāt kulaṃ prabhavati dhanād dharmaḥ pravardhate | nādhanasyāsty ayaṃ loko na paraḥ puruṣottama ||
Arjuna said: From wealth a family’s standing and continuity arise; from wealth, too, dharma is strengthened and made effective in the world. For one who is without wealth, O Puruṣottama, neither this world yields well-being nor does the next.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links artha (material means) with the practical support of both social stability (kula) and the performance of dharma, asserting that extreme lack of resources undermines well-being in this life and prospects in the next.
Arjuna addresses Puruṣottama, presenting a reflection on the necessity of wealth for sustaining lineage, social standing, and religious-ethical practice, framing poverty as a condition that obstructs both worldly welfare and otherworldly aims.