Shloka 14
कामतृष्णावैराग्योपदेशः तथा राज्यविभागः
Teaching on Desire & Renunciation; Delegation of Kingdoms
यत् पृथिव्यां व्रीहियवं हिरण्यं पशवः स्त्रियः एकस्यापि न पर्याप्तं तस्मात् तृष्णां परित्यजेत्
yat pṛthivyāṃ vrīhiyavaṃ hiraṇyaṃ paśavaḥ striyaḥ ekasyāpi na paryāptaṃ tasmāt tṛṣṇāṃ parityajet
Even if one possessed all that is on the earth—rice and barley, gold, cattle, and women—it would still not suffice to satisfy even a single person; therefore one should renounce craving itself.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The impossibility of satisfying a single person’s craving even with total earthly abundance; the prescription to renounce thirst (tṛṣṇā).
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Even total possession of worldly goods cannot satisfy craving; therefore the true remedy is abandoning tṛṣṇā itself.
Vedantic Theme: Moksha
Application: Practice aparigraha (non-hoarding), set limits on consumption, and cultivate santoṣa through gratitude and disciplined giving (dāna).
Vishishtadvaita: Affirms the finitude of worldly ‘śrī’ (prosperity) and implies that the self’s fullness is realized only in relation to the infinite Lord, not by accumulation.
Lakshmi Presence: Sri
FAQs
This verse teaches that worldly acquisitions cannot truly satisfy; freedom comes from abandoning craving itself, aligning life with dharma and inner peace.
He argues that even total possession of earthly wealth and pleasures remains inadequate for one person, showing desire’s nature as endless and self-renewing.
By exposing the futility of external satisfaction, the teaching turns the mind toward the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—as the stable refuge beyond transient possessions.