Shloka 36
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
धनमस्येति पुरुष पुरो निघ्नन्ति दस्यव: । क्लिश्यन्ति विविषधैर्दण्डैर्नित्यमुद्रेजयन्ति च
dhanam asyeti puruṣaṃ puro nighnanti dasyavaḥ | kliśyanti viviṣadhair daṇḍair nityam udrejayanti ca ||
ビーシュマは言った。「人に財があると盗賊が疑えば、たちまち打ち倒して殺す。あるいは種々の刑罰で責め苛み、常に恐怖と動揺の中に置く——その富を奪い取るためである。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth attracts predation: mere suspicion of riches can make a person a target of violence and coercion. Bhīṣma highlights the ethical and practical vulnerability created by attachment to or display of wealth, implying the need for restraint, prudence, and—at the societal level—strong protection of subjects.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes how robbers behave toward someone believed to have money: they may kill him outright or torture and intimidate him continually to extract or seize his wealth. The verse functions as a cautionary observation about worldly life and insecurity.