Shloka 15
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 178 — Royal Contestants Assemble; Cosmic Witnesses; The Bow Remains Unstrung
याचिष्णवो5भिजममुस्तांस्ततो भार्गवसत्तमान् | भूमौ तु निदधु: केचिद् भूगवों धनमक्षयम्,वसिष्ठजीने (पराशरसे) कहा--वत्स! इस पृथ्वीपर कृतवीर्य नामसे प्रसिद्ध एक राजा थे। वे नृपश्रेष्ठ वेदज्ञ भृगुवंशी ब्राह्मणोंक यजमान थे। तात! उन महाराजने सोमयज्ञ करके उसके अन्तमें उन अग्रभोजी भार्गवोंको विपुल धन और धान्य देकर उसके द्वारा पूर्ण संतुष्ट किया। राजाओंमें श्रेष्ठ कृतवीर्यके स्वर्गवासी हो जानेपर उनके वंशजोंको किसी तरह द्रव्यकी आवश्यकता आ पड़ी। भृगुवंशी ब्राह्मणोंके यहाँ धन है, यह जानकर वे सभी राजपुत्र उन श्रेष्ठ भार्गवोंके पास याचक बनकर गये। उस समय कुछ भार्गवोंने अपनी अक्षय धनराशिको धरतीमें गाड़ दिया
yāciṣṇavo 'bhijagmur tāṁs tato bhārgava-sattamān | bhūmau tu nidadhuḥ kecid bhārgavā dhanam akṣayam ||
Then, having become supplicants, they approached those foremost Bhārgava Brahmins. But some of the Bhārgavas buried their inexhaustible wealth in the earth. The episode frames a moral tension: when rulers (or their heirs) fall into need and turn to others’ resources, the response of the wealthy—whether generosity, fear, or concealment—becomes a test of dharma and social trust between kṣatriya power and brāhmaṇa stewardship.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how wealth tests dharma: those who possess resources must choose between rightful generosity and self-protective concealment, especially when approached by the powerful. It also reflects the fragile balance of trust between social orders—kṣatriyas seeking support and brāhmaṇas guarding their means.
Certain royal heirs, in need of funds, come as supplicants to the eminent Bhārgava Brahmins. Some Bhārgavas respond by hiding their ‘inexhaustible’ treasure by burying it in the ground.