Shloka 18
धन-राजधर्म संवादः
Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty
अर्थन हि विहीनस्य पुरुषस्याल्पमेधस: । विच्छिद्यन्ते क्रिया: सर्वा ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा
arthena hi vihīnasya puruṣasyālpamedhasaḥ | vicchidyante kriyāḥ sarvā grīṣme kusarito yathā ||
Arjuna dit : «Chez l’homme de faible entendement, privé de richesse, toutes les entreprises et tous les devoirs se brisent et s’éteignent, comme les petits ruisseaux qui, sous la chaleur de l’été, se morcellent et se dessèchent.»
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material means (artha) strongly condition a person’s capacity to sustain duties and projects; without resources, especially for the short-sighted, actions and obligations tend to collapse—hence ethical life must account for practical support, not ideals alone.
Arjuna voices a reflective observation in the Shanti Parva’s discourse: he uses a seasonal metaphor—small streams drying in summer—to illustrate how a resource-less person’s activities and commitments get disrupted and fail.