Shloka 29
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
प्रबाधनार्थ श्रूतिधर्मयुक्तान् वृद्धानुपास्य प्रभवेत यस्य । प्रयत्नसाध्यो हि स राजपुत्र प्रज्ञाशरेणोन्मथित: परैति
prabādhanārthaṃ śrutidharmayuktān vṛddhān upāsya prabhavet yasya | prayatnasādhyo hi sa rājaputra prajñāśareṇonmathitaḥ paraiti ||
Dijo Parāśara: «Oh príncipe, sólo llega a ser capaz de someter a ese enemigo quien sirve a los ancianos asentados en el saber védico y en el dharma, y así alcanza una sabiduría firme. Pues este enemigo se vence únicamente con gran esfuerzo; cuando es herido y arrancado de raíz por la flecha del discernimiento, perece».
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True victory over the most difficult enemy—ignorance and inner confusion—comes from disciplined effort supported by wisdom. That wisdom is cultivated by reverent service to elders who embody Vedic learning and dharma; only the ‘arrow of discernment’ can uproot and destroy such an enemy.
Parāśara instructs a prince, advising him that the capacity to overcome an adversary is not merely physical or political. It depends on acquiring steady intelligence through serving righteous, Veda-grounded elders; the enemy is portrayed as something that yields only when struck down by wisdom.