Shloka 74
Varṣa-Parvata-Nivāsinām Varnanam
Description of Regions, Mountains, and Their Inhabitants
राजानो भरतश्रेष्ठ भोक्तुकामा वसुंधराम् । न चापि तृप्ति: कामानां विद्यतेडद्यापि कस्यचित्,देवशरीरधारी प्राणियोंके लिये और मानवशरीर-धारी जीवोंके लिये यथेष्ट फल देनेवाली यह भूमि उनका परम आश्रय होती है। भरतश्रेष्ठ! जैसे कुत्ते मांसके टुकड़ेके लिये परस्पर लड़ते और एक-दूसरेको नोचते हैं, उसी प्रकार राजा लोग इस वसुधाको भोगनेकी इच्छा रखकर आपसमें लड़ते और लूटपाट करते हैं; किंतु आजतक किसीको अपनी कामनाओंसे तृप्ति नहीं हुई
sañjaya uvāca | rājāno bharataśreṣṭha bhoktukāmā vasuṃdharām | na cāpi tṛptiḥ kāmānāṃ vidyate ’dhyāpi kasyacit ||
Sanjaya said: O best of the Bharatas, kings, desiring to enjoy and possess the earth, contend for it; yet even to this day no one has ever found true satisfaction in desires. The earth, which yields results according to one’s embodied condition—whether divine-bodied or human-bodied—becomes their supreme refuge; and just as dogs fight and tear at one another for a piece of meat, so do rulers, craving dominion over the land, fight among themselves and plunder—yet none becomes content through the fulfillment of wants.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire (kāma) is intrinsically insatiable: even when power and land are gained, lasting contentment (tṛpti) does not arise. The verse critiques political greed and warns that craving for dominion over the earth fuels conflict without yielding true fulfillment.
Sanjaya, reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, reflects on the motives behind royal conflict: kings fight to enjoy and possess the earth, likened to dogs fighting over meat. This moral reflection frames the broader war context by identifying greed and rivalry as driving forces.