Shloka 31
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
उपभोगैरपि त्यक्तं नात्मानं सादयेन्नर: । चण्डालत्वेडपि मानुष्यं सर्वधा तात शोभनम्
upabhogair api tyaktaṁ nātmānaṁ sādayen naraḥ | caṇḍālatve ’pi mānuṣyaṁ sarvathā tāta śobhanam ||
उपभोग और सुख-साधनों से वंचित होने पर भी मनुष्य को अपने-आपको हीन नहीं समझना चाहिए। तात! चाण्डाल-योनि में भी यदि मनुष्य-जन्म मिले, तो वह अन्य (मानवेतर) प्राणियों की अपेक्षा सर्वथा श्रेष्ठ है।
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not lose self-respect or sink into despair when pleasures and resources are absent; human birth itself is a precious basis for dharma and inner growth, regardless of social condition.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and wisdom, Parāśara addresses a listener as “tāta,” offering counsel that reframes hardship: deprivation and low social status should not lead to self-debasement, because the human condition remains uniquely valuable.