Shloka 7
धन-यज्ञ-दानविवेकः
Wealth, Sacrifice, and Disciplined Giving
ईहेत धनहेतोर्यस्तस्यानीहा गरीयसी । भूयान् दोषो हि वर्धेत यस्तं धनमुपाश्रयेत्
īheta dhanahetor yas tasyānīhā garīyasī | bhūyān doṣo hi vardheta yas taṃ dhanam upāśrayet ||
Dijo Devastāna: «Si alguien se afana con el propósito de obtener riqueza, mejor le sería abstenerse de tal afán. Pues cuando un hombre empieza a apoyarse en esa riqueza y a “rendirle culto”, un gran defecto crece cada vez más en su interior».
देवस्थान उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that wealth-seeking effort, when it becomes a basis of dependence and reverence, nourishes inner दोष (moral fault). Therefore, restraint and non-attachment (anīhā) are presented as ethically superior to relentless pursuit of धन.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Devastāna delivers counsel on right conduct, contrasting the pursuit of wealth with the safer path of restraint, and explaining the moral danger of taking wealth as one’s refuge.