Shloka 7
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
न चापि मन्यसे राजन्नेष दोष: प्रसड्भत: । उद्योगादेव धर्मज्ञा: कालेनैव गमिष्यथ
na cāpi manyase rājann eṣa doṣaḥ prasaṅgataḥ | udyogād eva dharmajñāḥ kālenaiva gamiṣyatha ||
Bhishma dijo: «Oh rey, no pienses que la soberanía y la prosperidad sean, por su propia naturaleza, una falta—solo porque pueden volverse ocasión de apego. Ese juicio no es correcto. Pues tú conoces el dharma; con tu propio esfuerzo deliberado, y a su debido tiempo, podrás avanzar hacia el bien supremo (la liberación)».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity or royal power is not inherently a moral defect; it becomes harmful only when it leads to attachment. A dharma-knower can, through disciplined personal effort, move toward liberation in due course.
In the Śānti Parva instruction, Bhīṣma counsels the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) who is weighing the moral burden of rulership and worldly prosperity, correcting the view that wealth itself blocks liberation and emphasizing effort and right understanding.