Shloka 37
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
नाकामतो ब्राह्मुणा: स्वन्नमर्थान् नाकामतो ददति ब्राह्मणेभ्य: । नाकामतो विविधा लोकचेष्टा तस्मात् काम: प्राक् त्रिवर्गस्य दृष्ट:
nākāmato brāhmaṇāḥ svannam arthān nākāmato dadati brāhmaṇebhyaḥ | nākāmato vividhā lokaceṣṭā tasmāt kāmaḥ prāk trivargasya dṛṣṭaḥ ||
欲（kāma）がなければ、婆羅門でさえ良き食を口にしない。欲がなければ、誰も婆羅門に財を施さない。世の生きものに見られるさまざまな営みは、欲なくして起こらぬ。ゆえに三目的のうち、欲が先に立ち、主たる力と見なされる。
भीमयेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire (kāma) is presented as a primary driver of human and worldly activity: eating, giving, and general striving typically arise from some wish or motive. Hence, in practical life, kāma is seen as preceding and energizing the other aims within the trivarga (dharma–artha–kāma).
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse on conduct and life-goals, Bhīma argues from everyday observation—food, charity, and worldly effort—to claim that desire underlies most actions, and thus occupies a foremost place among the three human aims.