Shloka 43
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
धनेन जयते लोकावुभौ परमिमं तथा । सत्यं च धर्मवचनं यथा नास्त्यधनस्तथा
dhanena jayate lokāv ubhau param imau tathā | satyaṃ ca dharmavacanaṃ yathā nāsty adhanas tathā ||
Bhishma dijo: «Con la riqueza, una persona alcanza dominio sobre ambos mundos: éste y el venidero. Con riqueza también puede sostener la verdad y obrar y hablar conforme al dharma; pero quien carece de riqueza no logra el mismo éxito en tales fines, y su posición en la sociedad llega a ser casi como si no existiera».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the practical power of artha (wealth): it enables a person to secure success in worldly and otherworldly aims and to sustain truth and dharmic conduct, while poverty often undermines one’s capacity and social recognition. It is a pragmatic, not purely idealistic, observation about how resources support ethical life and social standing.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and right living, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira. Here he emphasizes the role of wealth in sustaining dharma and effective action, warning that extreme lack of resources can render a person powerless and socially invisible.