Shloka 51
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
यो घृतार्थी खरीक्षीरं मथेद् गन्धर्वसत्तम | विष्ठां तत्रानुपश्येत न मण्डं न च वै घृतम्
yo ghṛtārthī kharīkṣīraṃ mathed gandharvasattama | viṣṭhāṃ tatrānupaśyet na maṇḍaṃ na ca vai ghṛtam, gandharvaśiromaṇe ||
याज्ञवल्क्य बोले—हे गन्धर्वसत्तम! जो घी की इच्छा से गधी के दूध को मथे, उसे वहाँ विष्ठा ही दिखाई देगी; न उसे वहाँ मक्खन मिलेगा, न घी।
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A worthy goal cannot be reliably attained through unworthy or unsuitable means. Seeking refined results (like ghee) from an improper source (like a she-ass’s milk) yields only defilement—an ethical warning to choose proper methods, teachers, and foundations for one’s aims.
Yājñavalkya addresses an eminent Gandharva and uses a sharp household metaphor: churning an unfit milk in hopes of ghee leads not to butter or ghee but to filth. The statement functions as a moral illustration within the Shanti Parva’s instruction on conduct and discernment.