Shloka 37
प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
नैतादशं ब्राह्मणस्यास्ति वित्त यथैकता समता सत्यता च | शीलं स्थितिर्दण्डनिधानमार्जवं ततस्ततश्षोपरम: क्रियाभ्य:
naitādaśaṃ brāhmaṇasyāsti vittaṃ yathaikatā samatā satyatā ca | śīlaṃ sthitir daṇḍanidhānam ārjavaṃ tatastataḥ śoparamaḥ kriyābhyaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Un brāhmane n’a pas de richesse égale à celle-ci : l’unité d’intention, l’équanimité et la véracité ; la bonne conduite, la fermeté, déposer le bâton (renoncer à la violence et à la contrainte) et la droiture ; et, sans cesse, le retrait des actes mondains. Telles sont les vraies richesses qui soutiennent son dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that a brāhmaṇa’s true wealth is not material property but inner virtues: single-mindedness, equanimity, truthfulness, good conduct, steadiness, non-coercion (laying down the rod), straightforwardness, and repeated withdrawal from worldly action.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he enumerates the qualities that constitute the real ‘treasure’ of a brāhmaṇa, emphasizing ethical restraint and inner discipline over external possessions.