Shloka 31
राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः
Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration
कलत्रमादित: कृत्वा सर्व वो विनशेदिति । अपि चेत् पुत्रदारार्थमर्थसंचय इष्यते
kalatram āditaḥ kṛtvā sarva vo vinaśed iti | api cet putradārārtham arthasañcaya iṣyate ||
ビーシュマは言った。「敵が攻め寄せるとき、危難はまず妻と家の者に降りかかり、彼らとともに汝らの財もまた滅びうる。妻子を守るために財を蓄えることが是とされるとしても、災厄のただ中では、まさにその蓄財の理由であった扶養の者たちが、最初に危険の矢面に立つのだ。ゆえに執着と護りと慎みを、識別の眼で量れ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth is often justified as a means to protect one’s family, yet in times of attack or crisis the family becomes the first locus of vulnerability; therefore one should not be blindly attached to possessions or dependents, but act with discernment about security, priorities, and the limits of material protection.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and practical ethics. Here he warns about the consequences of enemy aggression: when danger comes, wives and children are threatened first, and with them one’s accumulated wealth can be lost—prompting reflection on why wealth is gathered and how to respond wisely in adversity.