Shloka 18
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
कुले जातस्य वृद्धस्य परवित्तेषु गृद्धयत: । लोभ: प्रज्ञानमाहन्ति प्रज्ञा हन्ति हता द्वियम्,मनुष्य उत्तम कुलमें जन्म लेकर और वृद्ध होनेपर भी यदि दूसरोंके धनको लेना चाहता है तो वह लोभ उसकी विचारशक्तिको नष्ट कर देता है। विचारशक्ति नष्ट होनेपर उसकी लज्जाको भी नष्ट कर देती है
kule jātasya vṛddhasya paravitteṣu gṛddhyataḥ | lobhaḥ prajñām āhanti prajñā hanti hatā dhriyam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Even a man born in a noble lineage and advanced in years—if he still covets another’s wealth—greed strikes down his discernment. And when discernment is destroyed, it in turn destroys his sense of restraint and modest shame, leaving him unmoored from right conduct.”
युधिछिर उवाच