Shloka 28
कालनियमः शोकशमनं च
Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief
लब्धस्य त्यागमित्याहुर्न भोगं न च संचयम् । तस्य कि संचयेनार्थ: कार्ये ज्यायसि तिष्ठतति
labdhasya tyāgam ity āhur na bhogaṁ na ca sañcayam | tasya kiṁ sañcayenārthaḥ kārye jyāyasi tiṣṭhati ||
Ils déclarent que, la richesse une fois acquise, la conduite juste est de la donner—non de la consumer en jouissances, ni de l’amasser. Pour celui devant qui se dresse un devoir plus grand—tel un sacrifice—à quoi sert de garder la richesse en accumulation ?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth, once acquired, is best directed toward dāna (giving) and higher obligations (such as yajña and other dharmic duties), rather than being spent on mere enjoyment or locked away in hoarding; accumulation has little value when a greater righteous task is at hand.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, conveys a traditional ethical maxim within the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma: he contrasts three uses of wealth—enjoyment, hoarding, and giving—and endorses giving, especially when significant religious or moral responsibilities are present.