Shloka 37

Devanagari script

“जो अधम मनुष्य इन्द्रियोंके वशीभूत होकर लोभवश धर्मको छोड़ देता है, वह अयोग्य उपायोंसे अर्थ और कामकी लिप्सामें पड़कर नष्ट हो जाता है ।। कामार्थो लिप्समानस्तु धर्ममेवादितकश्चरेत्‌ । न हि धर्मादपैत्यर्थ: कामो वापि कदाचन,“जो अर्थ और काम प्राप्त करना चाहता हो, उसे पहले धर्मका ही आचरण करना चाहिये; क्योंकि अर्थ या काम कभी धर्मसे पृथक नहीं होता है

Transliteration

kāma-arthau lipsamānas tu dharmam evādau ācaret | na hi dharmād apaiti arthaḥ kāmo vāpi kadācana ||

Translation

Orang yang rendah, dikuasai indria dan digerakkan oleh kerakusan, meninggalkan dharma; lalu, menginginkan harta dan kenikmatan melalui cara yang tidak layak, ia binasa. Karena itu, siapa yang menghendaki artha dan kāma hendaknya terlebih dahulu menjalankan dharma; sebab artha maupun kāma tak pernah sungguh-sungguh terpisah dari dharma.

Word by Word

कामार्थौpleasure and wealth (objects sought)

लिप्समानःdesiring to obtain

तुbut/indeed

धर्मम्dharma, righteousness

एवonly/indeed

आदितःat first, from the beginning

चरेत्should practice/should follow

नnot

हिindeed/for

धर्मात्from dharma

अपैतिdeparts/goes away

अर्थःwealth, benefit

कामःdesire/pleasure

वाor

अपिalso/even

कदाचनever/at any time

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Artha (wealth) and kāma (pleasure) should be pursued only on the foundation of dharma; abandoning dharma under greed and sense-slavery leads to ruin, because true prosperity and enjoyment cannot be sustainably separated from righteousness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, as the narrator, delivers a moral reflection within the Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled context: he contrasts the downfall of those who chase gain through improper means with the proper order of life—dharma first, then artha and kāma.