Shloka 44
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
एवं वेदमविज्ञाय प्राज्ञोडहमिति मन्यते । दानमध्ययन यज्ञो लोभादेतत् प्रवर्तते
evaṁ vedam avijñāya prājño ’ham iti manyate | dānam adhyayanaṁ yajño lobhād etat pravartate ||
Without truly understanding the essence of the Veda, a person still imagines, “I am wise.” Then, driven by greed for worldly rewards, he sets himself to acts such as charity, study, and sacrifice—not as a pursuit of truth, but as a means to gain results.
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sanatsujata warns that ritual acts and even scriptural study become ethically hollow when motivated by greed and self-conceit. True wisdom is not the claim “I am learned,” but genuine understanding of the Veda’s essence and acting without craving for reward.
In the Udyoga Parva’s Sanatsujata discourse, he instructs (in a moral-philosophical tone) that many people, lacking real insight, still assume themselves wise and then pursue charity, study, and sacrifice primarily for worldly gain, thereby missing the higher purpose of dharma.