Shloka 5
अविश्वास-निति: ब्रह्मदत्त–पूजनी-संवादः
Policy of Caution: The Brahmadatta–Pūjanī Dialogue
यो वै न देवान् न पितृन् न मर्त्यान हविषार्चति । अनर्थकं धन तत्र प्राहुर्धमविदो जना:
bhīṣma uvāca | yo vai na devān na pitṝn na martyān haviṣārcati | anarthakaṃ dhanaṃ tatra prāhur dharmavido janāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Celui qui ne rend pas culte aux dieux, aux ancêtres ni aux hommes par des offrandes sacrificielles—sa richesse, en ce cas, est déclarée stérile par ceux qui connaissent le dharma. Car la richesse ne prend sens que lorsqu’elle sert au don juste et au maintien de l’ordre sacré et social ; autrement, elle devient aride, comme un labeur dépensé pour ce qui ne peut réellement nourrir.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth is meaningful only when aligned with dharma—used to honor the gods, support ancestral rites, and serve living beings. If one hoards wealth without worship, giving, or social responsibility, dharma-knowers deem that wealth 'anarthaka' (without true purpose or fruit).
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs the king on righteous conduct and governance. Here he states a moral criterion for judging wealth: it is validated by sacrificial and social use (offerings to gods, rites for ancestors, and support of people), not merely by possession.