Shloka 56
Adhyaya 32: Saṃjaya’s Return, Audience with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Ethical Admonition
द्वाविमौ कण्टकौ तीक्ष्णौ शरीरपरिशोषिणौ । यश्चाधन: कामयते यश्च कुप्यत्यनी श्वरः,जो निर्धन होकर भी बहुमूल्य वस्तुकी इच्छा रखता और असमर्थ होकर भी क्रोध करता है--ये दोनों ही अपने लिये तीक्ष्ण काँटोंके समान हैं एवं अपने शरीरको सुखानेवाले हैं
dvāv imau kaṇṭakau tīkṣṇau śarīra-pariśoṣiṇau | yaś cādhanaḥ kāmayate yaś ca kupyaty anīśvaraḥ ||
ヴィドゥラは言った。「身を削り、枯らしてしまう鋭い棘が二つある。貧しいのに高価な財を欲しがる者、そして力なき身でありながら怒りに身を任せる者だ。いずれも自らを責め、己の力を食い尽くす。」
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unrestrained desire without means and anger without power are self-destructive. They act like “sharp thorns,” causing inner torment and wasting one’s health and energy; therefore one should cultivate contentment, discernment, and restraint.
In Udyoga Parva, Vidura offers moral counsel (nīti) amid rising tensions before the great war. Here he warns about two common human failings—greed in poverty and rage in helplessness—highlighting how they harm the person who indulges them.