Shloka 50
Nīti for Calamity, Wealth, Friendship, Charity, and Restraint of Kāma
ये बालभावे न पठन्ति विद्यां कामातुरा यौवननष्टवित्ताः / ते वृद्धबावे परिभूयमानाः संदह्यमानाः शिशिरे यथाब्जम्
ye bālabhāve na paṭhanti vidyāṃ kāmāturā yauvananaṣṭavittāḥ / te vṛddhabāve paribhūyamānāḥ saṃdahyamānāḥ śiśire yathābjam
Ceux qui, dans l’enfance, n’étudient pas la connaissance, et qui, dans la jeunesse, tourmentés par le désir, dissipent leurs biens, sont, dans la vieillesse, méprisés et accablés, brûlant de regret, tels le lotus qui se fane en hiver.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Neglect of study and surrender to kāma in youth produces later suffering—social, mental, and existential.
Vedantic Theme: Durlabha-mānuṣa-janma and kāma as a binding force; need for puruṣārtha alignment (dharma/artha/kāma under dharma, leading toward mokṣa).
Application: Invest early in education and character; set boundaries for desire; practice financial restraint; cultivate long-term thinking to avoid late-life remorse.
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.109 (nīti on education, desire, and consequences)
FAQs
This verse frames learning as a protective foundation laid in childhood; neglecting it leads to dependence, humiliation, and inner burning regret in old age.
It presents a cause-and-effect chain: failure to cultivate knowledge and restraint leads to desire-driven choices and loss of resources, which ripen as social and psychological suffering in old age.
Invest early in study and character, practice restraint over compulsive desires, and manage wealth responsibly to avoid preventable hardship and regret later in life.