Shloka 42
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
जीवितं संत्यजन्त्येके धनलोभपरा जना: । न जीवितार्थ मन्यन्ते पुरुषा हि धनादृते
jīvitaṁ saṁtyajanty eke dhanalobhaparā janāḥ | na jīvitārthaṁ manyante puruṣā hi dhanād ṛte ||
Bhishma dijo: Algunos, impulsados por la codicia de riquezas, entregan incluso su propia vida. Tales hombres no ven propósito alguno en vivir aparte del dinero, como si la vida sólo tuviera sentido cuando está atada a la fortuna.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma warns that obsession with wealth can become so extreme that people sacrifice even life itself, mistaking money for the sole purpose of living; the ethical lesson is to recognize wealth as a means, not the ultimate end, and to guard against lobha (greed) that destroys discernment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira by describing a common moral failing: people who are so attached to wealth that they disregard the true aims of life and even risk death for gain.