Shloka 14
Nīti on Friendship (Mitra), Discretion, Restraint, Health-Regimens, Prosperity (Śrī), and Family Dharma
किं चित्रं यदि वेद (शब्द) शास्त्रकुशलो विप्रो भवेत्पण्डितः किं चित्रं यदि दण्डनीतिकुशलो राजा भवेद्धार्मिकः / किं चित्रं यदि रूपयौवनवती साध्वी भवेत्कामिनी तच्चित्रं यदि निर्धनो ऽपि पुरुषः पापं न कुर्यात्क्रचित्
kiṃ citraṃ yadi veda (śabda) śāstrakuśalo vipro bhavetpaṇḍitaḥ kiṃ citraṃ yadi daṇḍanītikuśalo rājā bhaveddhārmikaḥ / kiṃ citraṃ yadi rūpayauvanavatī sādhvī bhavetkāminī taccitraṃ yadi nirdhano 'pi puruṣaḥ pāpaṃ na kuryātkracit
Quelle merveille y a-t-il à ce qu’un brāhmane, versé dans les Veda et les śāstra de la parole sacrée, devienne un érudit ? Quelle merveille à ce qu’un roi, expert en la science du châtiment et du gouvernement, devienne juste selon le Dharma ? Quelle merveille à ce qu’une femme chaste, pourvue de beauté et de jeunesse, éprouve aussi du désir ? Mais voici la vraie merveille : qu’un homme pauvre même ne commette jamais de péché.
Lord Vishnu (in discourse to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: True wonder is ethical restraint despite hardship; virtue is tested most under deprivation.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma as purifier of antaḥkaraṇa; non-indulgence in adharma despite prārabdha conditions.
Application: When under financial stress, prioritize non-harm, honesty, and self-control; treat temptation as the real measure of character.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Related Themes: Garuda Purana (nīti/dharma sections): recurring emphasis that poverty is not license for pāpa; virtue is inner restraint
FAQs
This verse highlights that true moral greatness is not social status or learning, but unwavering restraint from sin—especially under pressure like poverty, which tests dharma most intensely.
By stressing deliberate non-commission of sin, it points to karmic causality: choices made under hardship create strong karmic outcomes, so restraint protects one from painful results described elsewhere in the Purana.
Maintain ethical conduct even in scarcity—avoid dishonest earning, harm, and exploitation—because integrity under difficulty is presented here as the rarest and most admirable virtue.