Shloka 7
धन-यज्ञ-दानविवेकः
Wealth, Sacrifice, and Disciplined Giving
ईहेत धनहेतोर्यस्तस्यानीहा गरीयसी । भूयान् दोषो हि वर्धेत यस्तं धनमुपाश्रयेत्
īheta dhanahetor yas tasyānīhā garīyasī | bhūyān doṣo hi vardheta yas taṃ dhanam upāśrayet ||
जो धन के लिए विशेष चेष्टा करता है, उसके लिए ऐसी चेष्टा न करना ही श्रेष्ठ है; क्योंकि जो उस धन का आश्रय लेकर मानो उसकी उपासना करने लगता है, उसके भीतर महान् दोष बढ़ता जाता है।
देवस्थान उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that wealth-seeking effort, when it becomes a basis of dependence and reverence, nourishes inner दोष (moral fault). Therefore, restraint and non-attachment (anīhā) are presented as ethically superior to relentless pursuit of धन.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Devastāna delivers counsel on right conduct, contrasting the pursuit of wealth with the safer path of restraint, and explaining the moral danger of taking wealth as one’s refuge.