Shloka 38
प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
परमात्माके साथ एकता तथा समता, सत्यभाषण, सदाचार, ब्रह्मनिष्ठा, दण्डका परित्याग (अहिंसा), सरलता तथा सब प्रकारके सकाम कर्मोंसे उपरति--इनके समान ब्राह्मणके लिये दूसरा कोई धन नहीं है ।।
paramātmake sārdham ekatā samatā ca, satyabhāṣaṇam, sadācāraḥ, brahmaniṣṭhā, daṇḍaparityāgaḥ (ahiṃsā), saralatā ca sarvaprakārasakāmakarmoparatiś ca—etaiḥ samaṃ brāhmaṇasya dvitīyaṃ dhanaṃ nāsti. kiṃ te dhanair bāndhavair vāpi? kiṃ te? kiṃ te dāraiḥ, brāhmaṇa, yo mariṣyasi? ātmānam anviccha guhāṃ praviṣṭaṃ; pitāmahās te kva gatāḥ pitā ca.
Bhīṣma dit : «Pour un brāhmane, il n’est pas de richesse égale à celles-ci : l’unité et l’équanimité avec le Soi suprême, la véracité dans la parole, la bonne conduite, la fermeté en Brahman, le renoncement au châtiment—la non-violence—, la simplicité, et le retrait de toute action mue par le désir. À quoi te serviront les richesses, ou même les proches ? À quoi te serviront l’épouse et la maison, ô brāhmane, puisque tu dois mourir ? Cherche le Soi entré dans la caverne du cœur. Réfléchis : où sont allés ton père et tes aïeux ?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True ‘wealth’ for a brahmin is inner virtue and realization: unity and equanimity with the Supreme, truthfulness, ethical conduct, steadfastness in Brahman, non-violence, simplicity, and withdrawal from desire-driven actions. External possessions and relationships cannot accompany one at death; therefore one should pursue Self-inquiry and inner realization.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and the path of inner good. Here he addresses a brahmin (as a representative seeker), challenging attachment to wealth, kin, and spouse by reminding him of inevitable death and the fate of ancestors, and urging him to seek the indwelling Self in the ‘cave’ of the heart.