Shloka 36
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
धनमस्येति पुरुष पुरो निघ्नन्ति दस्यव: । क्लिश्यन्ति विविषधैर्दण्डैर्नित्यमुद्रेजयन्ति च,“जिस पुरुषके पास धन होनेका संदेह होता है, उसे उसका धन लूटनेके लिये लुटेरे मार डालते हैं अथवा उसे तरह-तरहकी पीड़ाएँ देकर सताते और सदा उद्वेगमें डाले रहते हैं
dhanam asyeti puruṣaṃ puro nighnanti dasyavaḥ | kliśyanti viviṣadhair daṇḍair nityam udrejayanti ca ||
Bhishma dijo: «Cuando los bandidos sospechan que un hombre posee riquezas, lo derriban y lo matan sin más; o lo atormentan con castigos de muchas clases, manteniéndolo siempre en temor y zozobra, para apoderarse de su hacienda.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth attracts predation: mere suspicion of riches can make a person a target of violence and coercion. Bhīṣma highlights the ethical and practical vulnerability created by attachment to or display of wealth, implying the need for restraint, prudence, and—at the societal level—strong protection of subjects.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes how robbers behave toward someone believed to have money: they may kill him outright or torture and intimidate him continually to extract or seize his wealth. The verse functions as a cautionary observation about worldly life and insecurity.