Shloka 33
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
बीजं भक्तेन सम्पाद्यमिति धर्मविदो विदु: । अन्रैतच्छम्बरस्याहुर्महामायस्य दर्शनम्
bījaṃ bhaktena sampādyam iti dharmavido viduḥ | anṛtaicchambarasyāhur mahāmāyasya darśanam |
Bhishma dit : Ceux qui connaissent le dharma tiennent qu’il faut assurer le grain de semence avec un soin dévoué—en le préservant même des provisions destinées à la nourriture. Sur ce point, l’avis fameux attribué à Śambara, le grand maître d’illusions parmi les asura, est dit identique : garde la semence, car elle protège la subsistance à venir et la continuité.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when food is scarce, one should protect seed-grain with conscientious care, because preserving the means of future production is a dharmic form of foresight and responsibility.
Bhishma, instructing on dharma in the Śānti Parva, cites the consensus of dharma-knowers and adds that even the famed māyā-wielder Śambara is reported to have held the same view—underscoring the practical wisdom of safeguarding seed for the future.