Shloka 50
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
श्रोत्रियास्त्वग्रभोक्तारो धर्मनित्या: सनातना: | याजनाध्यापने युक्ता यत्र तद् राष्ट्रमावसेत्
śrotriyās tv agrabhoktāro dharmanityāḥ sanātanāḥ | yājanādhyāpane yuktā yatra tad rāṣṭram āvaset ||
Nārada dit : «Là où demeurent des savants du Veda (śrotriya), qui ne s’emparent pas de la première part pour eux-mêmes, toujours constants dans le dharma et enracinés dans la tradition ancienne, et voués à célébrer des sacrifices pour autrui ainsi qu’à enseigner, là ce royaume demeure véritablement dans la stabilité et la prospérité.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kingdom becomes stable and truly prosperous where learned, disciplined Vedic scholars live—people who are not driven by greed for the first share, who are steady in dharma, and who sustain society through teaching and priestly service.
Nārada is describing the marks of a well-founded realm in the Śānti Parva’s discourse on governance and dharma, emphasizing that the presence of virtuous teachers and ritual specialists supports the moral and institutional health of the state.