Shloka 23
कालनियमः शोकशमनं च
Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief
अधन: कस्य किं वाच्यो विमुक्त: सर्वश: सुखी । देवस्वमुपगृहीव धनेन न सुखी भवेत्
adhanaḥ kasya kiṁ vācyo vimuktaḥ sarvaśaḥ sukhī | devasvam upagṛhīva dhanena na sukhī bhavet ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Apa yang dapat dikatakan kepada, atau dituntut dari, orang yang tak berharta? Ia bebas dari segala ketakutan dan hidup tenteram. Bahkan bila seseorang merampas harta milik para dewa, ia tetap tidak akan menjadi bahagia hanya karena kekayaan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Happiness is not guaranteed by wealth; craving and the burdens of possession breed fear and unrest. Even unethical acquisition—symbolized by taking what belongs to the gods—cannot produce true contentment, whereas freedom from attachment can bring ease.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration within the Śānti Parva’s moral instruction, a reflective maxim is stated: the poor are difficult to pressure or hold to worldly expectations, and a person unencumbered by possessions may live more fearlessly; wealth, even when gained by wrongdoing, does not ensure happiness.