Shloka 17
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
काषायवसनाश्रान्ये श्मश्रुला हीनिषेविण: । विद्वांसश्वैव शान्ताश्न मुक्ता: सर्वपरिग्रहै:
arjuna uvāca | kāṣāyavasanāś cānye śmaśrulā hīniṣevinaḥ | vidvāṃsaś caiva śāntāś ca muktāḥ sarvaparigrahaiḥ ||
Arjuna dijo: «He visto incluso a hombres sabios —serenos, dueños de sí, vestidos con hábitos ocres, con barba y bigote, viviendo con escaso alimento y libres de toda posesión— albergar todavía el deseo de riqueza».
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External signs of renunciation—ochre robes, austerity, learning, and even apparent freedom from possessions—do not by themselves guarantee inner detachment; the subtle desire for wealth can persist unless craving is truly uprooted.
Arjuna raises a reflective doubt within the Shanti Parva discourse: he observes that even those who appear to be ideal ascetics and wise men may still harbor longing for wealth, highlighting the difficulty of conquering desire.