Shloka 37
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
“जो अधम मनुष्य इन्द्रियोंके वशीभूत होकर लोभवश धर्मको छोड़ देता है, वह अयोग्य उपायोंसे अर्थ और कामकी लिप्सामें पड़कर नष्ट हो जाता है ।।
kāma-arthau lipsamānas tu dharmam evādau ācaret | na hi dharmād apaiti arthaḥ kāmo vāpi kadācana ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “A base man who, enslaved by his senses and driven by greed, abandons dharma is ruined—falling into the pursuit of wealth and pleasure through unworthy means. Therefore, one who seeks prosperity and enjoyment should first practice dharma, for wealth and desire never truly stand apart from dharma.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Artha (wealth) and kāma (pleasure) should be pursued only on the foundation of dharma; abandoning dharma under greed and sense-slavery leads to ruin, because true prosperity and enjoyment cannot be sustainably separated from righteousness.
Vaiśampāyana, as the narrator, delivers a moral reflection within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled context: he contrasts the downfall of those who chase gain through improper means with the proper order of life—dharma first, then artha and kāma.