Shloka 21
धर्मसूक्ष्मे त्यागप्रधान्यविचारः
Subtle Dharma and the Primacy of Renunciation
असि्मिन्नेवं सूक्ष्मगम्ये मार्गे सद्धिर्निषेविते । कथमर्थमनर्थाब्यमर्जुन त्वं प्रशंभसि,अर्जुन! इस प्रकार सूक्ष्म बुद्धिसे जाननेयोग्य एवं साधु पुरुषोंसे सेवित इस उत्तम मार्गके रहते हुए तुम अनर्थोंसे भरे हुए अर्थ (धन) की प्रशंसा कैसे करते हो?
asminnevaṁ sūkṣmagamye mārge sādubhir niṣevite | katham arthaṁ anarthāḍhyaṁ arjuna tvaṁ praśaṁsasi ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «¡Arjuna! Si ya existe este noble sendero—sutil, discernible solo mediante un entendimiento refinado y practicado por los virtuosos—¿cómo es que alabas la “riqueza”, cargada de infortunio y de consecuencias dañinas?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a subtle, virtuous path of dharma is available and endorsed by the wise, one should be wary of praising mere wealth (artha) because it often carries ‘anartha’—harm, attachment, conflict, and moral compromise.
In the Shanti Parva’s reflective discourse on right conduct after the war, Yudhiṣṭhira challenges Arjuna’s apparent commendation of wealth, arguing that the higher, ethically refined path followed by good people should take precedence over gains that tend to generate suffering.