Shloka 33
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
बीजं भक्तेन सम्पाद्यमिति धर्मविदो विदु: । अन्रैतच्छम्बरस्याहुर्महामायस्य दर्शनम्
bījaṃ bhaktena sampādyam iti dharmavido viduḥ | anṛtaicchambarasyāhur mahāmāyasya darśanam |
Dijo Bhishma: Quienes conocen el dharma sostienen que debe asegurarse el grano de siembra con esmerado cuidado—reservándolo incluso de los víveres almacenados para comer. En esto, se dice que la célebre opinión atribuida a Śambara, el gran artífice de ilusiones entre los asura, es la misma: preserva la semilla, pues ella resguarda el sustento futuro y la continuidad.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when food is scarce, one should protect seed-grain with conscientious care, because preserving the means of future production is a dharmic form of foresight and responsibility.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma in the Śānti Parva, cites the consensus of dharma-knowers and adds that even the famed māyā-wielder Śambara is reported to have held the same view—underscoring the practical wisdom of safeguarding seed for the future.