Mahabharata 3.2.40 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 40
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
यथा ह्यामिषमाकाशे पक्षिश्रि: श्वापदैर्भुवि । भक्ष्यते सलिले मत्स्यैस्तथा सर्वत्र वित्तवान्
yathā hy āmiṣam ākāśe pakṣiśriḥ śvāpadair bhuvi | bhakṣyate salile matsyais tathā sarvatra vittavān ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— ആകാശത്ത് പക്ഷികളും, ഭൂമിയിൽ ക്രൂരമൃഗങ്ങളും, വെള്ളത്തിൽ മീനുകളും മാംസക്കഷണം പിടിച്ചുപറിച്ച് തിന്നുന്നതുപോലെ, ധനവാനെയും എല്ലായിടത്തും ആളുകൾ നിരന്തരം കൊള്ളയടിക്കുന്നു.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth functions like bait: it draws attention and exploitation from all directions. The ethical lesson is to handle riches with vigilance, restraint, and dharmic discernment, recognizing that possessions can invite danger and manipulation.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a proverbial comparison within the Vana Parva discourse, using a vivid natural image—meat being devoured by creatures of sky, land, and water—to comment on how society often treats a wealthy person as a target for constant taking.
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