Shloka 55
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
देवता ब्राह्मणा: सन््तो यक्षा मानुषचारणा: । धार्मिकान् पूजयन्तीह न धनाढ्यान् न कामिन:,देवता, ब्राह्मण, साधु-संत, यक्ष, मनुष्य और चारण-ये सब-के-सब इस जगतमें धर्मात्माओंका ही पूजन करते हैं, धनियों और भोगियोंका नहीं
devatā brāhmaṇāḥ santaḥ yakṣā mānuṣa-cāraṇāḥ | dhārmikān pūjayantīha na dhanāḍhyān na kāminaḥ ||
ദേവന്മാർ, ബ്രാഹ്മണർ, സന്മാർഗ്ഗസ്ഥരായ സന്ന്യാസി-സന്തന്മാർ, യക്ഷർ, മനുഷ്യർ, ചാരണർ—ഇവരെല്ലാം ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ ധാർമ്മികരെയേ ആദരിക്കുന്നു; ധനികരെയല്ല, കാമാസക്തരെയുമല്ല.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True honor in society—among divine beings, sages, and humans alike—naturally goes to those grounded in dharma. Wealth and sensual indulgence, by themselves, do not merit reverence; ethical character does.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a didactic sequence on values and conduct, emphasizing that social and cosmic approval aligns with righteousness rather than with mere prosperity or pleasure.