Shloka 23
चिरकारि-उपाख्यानम् / The Exemplum of Cirakārī: Deliberation Before Irreversible Action
अतिरिक्तैः संविभजेद् भोगैरन्यानकिंचनान् । एतस्मात् कारणादू धात्रा कुसीदं सम्प्रवर्तितम्
atiriktaiḥ saṃvibhajed bhogair anyān akiñcanān | etasmāt kāraṇād ū dhātrā kusīdaṃ sampravartitam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «De ses jouissances et de ses ressources superflues, qu’on fasse part à ceux qui ne possèdent rien. C’est pour cette raison, ô roi, que le Créateur mit en mouvement la pratique du prêt à intérêt : afin que la richesse circule et que le nécessiteux soit soutenu, au lieu d’être laissé dans le dénuement.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Surplus wealth and comforts should be shared with the destitute; economic practices like interest-bearing loans are framed as instruments meant to keep wealth circulating and to prevent the needy from being abandoned.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma teaches the king about ethical use of wealth, urging redistribution of excess and explaining the social rationale behind the institution of kusīda (interest-bearing lending).