Shloka 6
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 106: Pūrva-Diśa Praśaṃsā
Praise and Primacy of the Eastern Quarter
अधनस्याकृतार्थस्य त्यक्तस्य विविधै: फलै: । ऋणं धारयमाणस्य कुत: सुखमनीहया,“जो निर्धन है, जिसके अभीष्ट मनोरथकी सिद्धि नहीं हुई है तथा जो नाना प्रकारके शुभ कर्मफलोंसे वंचित होकर केवल ऋणका बोझ ढो रहा है, ऐसे मनुष्यको बिना उद्यमके जीवन धारण करनेसे क्या सुख होगा?
adhanasya akṛtārthasya tyaktasya vividhaiḥ phalaiḥ | ṛṇaṃ dhārayamāṇasya kutaḥ sukham anīhayā ||
Nārada said: “For one who is poor, whose aims have not been fulfilled, who has been deprived of the many fruits of meritorious deeds, and who is merely carrying the burden of debt—how could there be any happiness in sustaining life without effort?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Happiness and stability do not arise from passivity when one is burdened by poverty, unfulfilled aims, and debt; purposeful effort (īhā/udyama) is ethically and practically necessary to overcome hardship.
In the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-oriented setting, Nārada delivers a pragmatic admonition: a person weighed down by lack and obligations cannot expect well-being merely by avoiding exertion; the statement functions as moral instruction within advisory discourse.