Shloka 16

Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga

Non-attachment

Devanagari script

अनुग्रहं च मित्राणाममित्राणां च निग्रहम्‌ । संग्रह च त्रिवर्गस्थ श्रेय आहुर्मनीषिण:

Transliteration

anugrahaṃ ca mitrāṇām amitrāṇāṃ ca nigraham | saṃgrahaṃ ca trivargasthaṃ śreya āhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Nārada berkata: “Memberi anugerah dan dukungan kepada sahabat, mengekang serta menghukum mereka yang bertindak sebagai musuh, dan memelihara sumber daya yang berada dalam tiga tujuan hidup—dharma, artha, dan kāma—itulah, kata para bijak, yang sungguh menuntun pada śreyas (kesejahteraan tertinggi).”

Word by Word

• {'anugraham': 'favor, benevolence, active support

• gracious assistance', 'mitrāṇām': 'of friends, allies, well-wishers', 'amitrāṇām': 'of non-friends

• enemies, hostile persons', 'nigraham': 'restraint, suppression

• chastisement/punishment when warranted', 'saṃgraham': 'gathering, maintenance, prudent accumulation/management', 'trivarga-stham': 'situated in the triad of aims (dharma, artha, kāma)', 'śreyaḥ': 'the good, welfare, true benefit

• what leads to lasting well-being', 'āhuḥ': 'they say, they declare', 'manīṣiṇaḥ': 'the wise, discerning thinkers'}

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Narada

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Welfare (śreyas) in governance and conduct comes from a balanced triad: benevolence toward allies, firm restraint of hostile wrongdoers, and prudent management of dharma-artha-kāma resources.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct and polity, Nārada states a concise principle of practical ethics: reward and protect friends, punish enemies who act wickedly, and sustain the three aims of life through disciplined stewardship.