Shloka 3
Sahadeva on Attachment (mamatā), ‘mameti/na mameti’, and the Middle Path of Conduct
शारीरं द्रव्यमुत्सूज्य पृथिवीमनुशासत: । यो धर्मो यत् सुखं वा स्यात् सुहृदां तत् तथास्तु नः,परंतु शरीरके उपयोगमें आनेवाले द्रव्योंकी ममता त्यागकर अनासक्ताभावसे पृथिवीका शासन करनेवाले राजाको जिस धर्म अथवा जिस सुखकी प्राप्ति होती हो, वह हमारे हितैषी सुहृदोंको मिले
śārīraṁ dravyam utsṛjya pṛthivīm anuśāsataḥ | yo dharmo yat sukhaṁ vā syāt suhṛdāṁ tat tathāstu naḥ ||
Dijo Sahadeva: «Que ese mismo dharma—o esa dicha—que alcanza el rey que gobierna la tierra con desapego, tras abandonar el sentido de posesión sobre los bienes y recursos destinados al goce del cuerpo, llegue también a nuestros amigos bienhechores, que nos desean el bien».
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True royal governance is grounded in non-attachment: a king should relinquish possessiveness over bodily pleasures and personal goods, rule the earth with an unselfish mind, and thereby attain dharma and well-being—benefits that Sahadeva wishes to extend to all well-wishing friends.
In the Shanti Parva’s discourse on righteous conduct and statecraft, Sahadeva speaks a benedictive wish: that the dharma and happiness gained by a self-controlled, non-possessive ruler who administers the kingdom properly should accrue to their allies and well-wishers.