Shloka 3
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
नहि तत्र धनं स्फीतं न च सम्बन्धिबान्धवा: । तिष्ठन्ति यत्र सुहृदस्तिष्ठन्तीति मतिर्मम,मेरी तो यह धारणा है कि जिस स्थानपर सुहृद् खड़े होते हैं वहाँ न तो प्रचुर धन काम दे सकता है और न सम्बन्धी तथा बन्धु-बान्धव ही ठहर सकते हैं
nahi tatra dhanaṃ sphītaṃ na ca sambandhi-bāndhavāḥ | tiṣṭhanti yatra suhṛdas tiṣṭhantīti matir mama ||
«តាមការយល់ឃើញរបស់ខ្ញុំ កន្លែងណាដែលសុហ្រទៈ—មិត្តពិត និងអ្នកប្រាថ្នាល្អ—ឈរជើងនៅទីនោះ ទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិច្រើនក៏មិនអាចជួយបានទេ ហើយសាច់ញាតិ និងបងប្អូនក៏មិនអាចនៅជាប់បានដែរ»។
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira teaches that genuine well-wishers (suhṛd) are more reliable than wealth or mere kinship; in decisive ethical moments, true support comes from goodwill and virtue rather than money or blood-ties.
In the reflective, instruction-oriented setting of the Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira voices a personal conviction about human support systems: prosperity and family connections may fail to ‘stand by’ someone, whereas true friends and well-wishers are the ones who remain steadfast.