Shloka 29
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
भीमयेन उवाच नाकाम: कामयत्यर्थ नाकामो धर्ममिच्छति । नाकाम: कामयानो<स्ति तस्मात् कामो विशिष्यते
Bhīmayena uvāca: nākāmaḥ kāmayaty arthaṃ nākāmo dharmam icchati | nākāmaḥ kāmayāno 'sti tasmāt kāmo viśiṣyate ||
Bhīma dit : «Celui qui est délivré du désir ne recherche pas la richesse, et ne souhaite même pas poursuivre le dharma. On ne trouve pas d’homme sans désir comme chercheur de jouissance ; ainsi, parmi les trois buts de la vie, le kāma (désir/plaisir) est tenu pour le plus déterminant.»
भीमयेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīma argues that desire (kāma) is the driving force behind human pursuit: without desire, one does not strive for wealth (artha) or even for dharma; hence kāma is presented as the most influential among the three aims.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective dialogue, Bhīma addresses Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) and offers a pragmatic view of human motivation, asserting that desire underlies the pursuit of both material success and moral/religious duty.