Shloka 45
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
धनं वा पुरुषो राजन् पुरुष वा पुनर्धनम् अवश्यं प्रजहात्येव तद् विद्वान् कोडनुसंज्वरेत्
dhanaṃ vā puruṣo rājan puruṣo vā punar dhanam | avaśyaṃ prajahāty eva tad vidvān ko 'nusañjvaret ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô Roi, que l’homme abandonne la richesse ou que la richesse abandonne l’homme, un jour cela arrive à coup sûr. Sachant cette inéluctable vérité, quel sage se consumerait d’inquiétude pour des biens ?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth is inherently impermanent: either a person leaves it behind, or it slips away from the person. Recognizing this certainty, the wise do not waste their inner peace in anxious attachment to riches.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma counsels Yudhishthira on righteous living and mental steadiness. Here he emphasizes non-attachment by pointing out the inevitable separation between people and their wealth.