Shloka 42
Nīti for Calamity, Wealth, Friendship, Charity, and Restraint of Kāma
राजा न तप्तो धनसंचयेन न सागरस्तृप्तिमगाज्जलेन / न पण्डितस्तृप्यति भाषितेन तृप्तं न चक्षुर्नृपदर्शनेन
rājā na tapto dhanasaṃcayena na sāgarastṛptimagājjalena / na paṇḍitastṛpyati bhāṣitena tṛptaṃ na cakṣurnṛpadarśanena
രാജാവ് ധനസഞ്ചയത്തിൽ തൃപ്തനാകുന്നില്ല; സമുദ്രം ജലത്തിൽ തൃപ്തിയാകുന്നില്ല. പണ്ഡിതൻ വാക്കുകളാൽ മാത്രം തൃപ്തനല്ല; കണ്ണും രാജദർശനത്തിൽ തൃപ്തിയാകുന്നില്ല.
Lord Vishnu (narrative instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra; typical Vishnu–Garuda dialogue context)
Concept: Status, hoarding, and mere eloquence do not yield contentment; fascination with power is a form of bondage.
Vedantic Theme: Ahaṅkāra and rāga for power/recognition; the mind’s outward-running tendency (bahirmukhatā).
Application: Practice aparigraha (non-hoarding), speak with purpose, and reduce power-spectacle consumption; cultivate inner measures of success.
Primary Rasa: hasya
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: court/ocean (archetypal)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.109.40-41 (insatiability); Garuda Purana 1.109.43 (sense-control and dharma-based living)
FAQs
This verse highlights that external accumulation—wealth, status, and sensory spectacle—cannot truly satisfy; cultivating detachment and right living is presented as the remedy for endless craving.
By showing that desire is inherently insatiable, it supports the text’s broader warning that attachment binds the jiva to repeated suffering and continued cycles, rather than peace and liberation.
Use it as a check on compulsive accumulation and validation-seeking: practice moderation, truthful speech with purpose, and redirect attention toward dharma, charity, and inner discipline.