Shloka 15
धन-निरुक्ति तथा गालवस्य गुरुदक्षिणा-प्रसङ्गः
Etymology of Wealth and the Gurudakṣiṇā Predicament of Gālava
आचार: फलते धर्ममाचार: फलते धनम् । आचाराच्छियमाप्रोति आचारो हन्त्यलक्षणम्,“आचार ही धर्मको सफल बनाता है, आचार ही धनरूपी फल देता है, आचारसे मनुष्यको सम्पत्ति प्राप्त होती है और आचार ही अशुभ लक्षणोंका भी नाश कर देता है
ācāraḥ phalate dharmam ācāraḥ phalate dhanam | ācārāc chriyam āpnoti ācāro hanti alakṣaṇam ||
Nārada said: “Right conduct is what makes dharma bear fruit; right conduct is what yields wealth as its result. Through conduct a person attains prosperity, and conduct also destroys inauspicious marks and misfortune.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ācāra (right conduct) is the decisive foundation that makes dharma effective and productive. It is also the practical means by which wealth and prosperity arise, and by which inauspiciousness and misfortune are removed—so ethical discipline is presented as both morally and materially consequential.
In Udyoga Parva, amid counsel and deliberations leading toward the great conflict, Nārada speaks in a didactic mode, emphasizing the primacy of personal and social conduct. His statement functions as moral instruction: before outcomes like victory, wealth, or honor can be expected, one must be grounded in proper ācāra.