Shloka 44
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
एवं वेदमविज्ञाय प्राज्ञोडहमिति मन्यते । दानमध्ययन यज्ञो लोभादेतत् प्रवर्तते,इस प्रकार वेदके तत्त्वको न जानकर भी कुछ लोग "मैं विद्वान् हूँ" ऐसा मानने लगते हैं; फिर उनकी दान, अध्ययन और यज्ञादि कर्मोमें (सांसारिक सुखकी प्राप्तिरूप फलके) लोभसे प्रवृत्ति होती है
evaṁ vedam avijñāya prājño ’ham iti manyate | dānam adhyayanaṁ yajño lobhād etat pravartate ||
Sin comprender de verdad la esencia del Veda, alguien aun así se imagina: «Soy sabio». Luego, movido por la codicia de recompensas mundanas, se entrega a actos como la caridad, el estudio y el sacrificio: no como búsqueda de la verdad, sino como medio para obtener frutos.
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sanatsujata warns that ritual acts and even scriptural study become ethically hollow when motivated by greed and self-conceit. True wisdom is not the claim “I am learned,” but genuine understanding of the Veda’s essence and acting without craving for reward.
In the Udyoga Parva’s Sanatsujata discourse, he instructs (in a moral-philosophical tone) that many people, lacking real insight, still assume themselves wise and then pursue charity, study, and sacrifice primarily for worldly gain, thereby missing the higher purpose of dharma.