Shloka 7
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
न चापि मन्यसे राजन्नेष दोष: प्रसड्भत: । उद्योगादेव धर्मज्ञा: कालेनैव गमिष्यथ
na cāpi manyase rājann eṣa doṣaḥ prasaṅgataḥ | udyogād eva dharmajñāḥ kālenaiva gamiṣyatha ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô roi, ne crois pas que la souveraineté et la prospérité soient, par nature, une faute—sous prétexte qu’elles peuvent devenir occasion d’attachement. Ce jugement n’est pas juste. Car tu connais le dharma ; par ton effort délibéré, et en temps voulu, tu pourras avancer vers le bien suprême (la délivrance).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity or royal power is not inherently a moral defect; it becomes harmful only when it leads to attachment. A dharma-knower can, through disciplined personal effort, move toward liberation in due course.
In the Śānti Parva instruction, Bhīṣma counsels the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) who is weighing the moral burden of rulership and worldly prosperity, correcting the view that wealth itself blocks liberation and emphasizing effort and right understanding.