Shloka 20
Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma
Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics
स शेषकारिणतस्तत्र शेषं पश्यन्ति सर्वश: | नि:शेषकारिणो नित्यं नि:शेषकरणाद् भयम्
sa śeṣa-kāriṇatas tatra śeṣaṃ paśyanti sarvaśaḥ | niḥśeṣa-kāriṇo nityaṃ niḥśeṣa-karaṇād bhayam ||
जे दरोडेखोर दुसऱ्याचे धन घेताना काही शेष ठेवतात, त्यांना सर्वत्र आपल्या धनाचाही अवशेष सुरक्षित दिसतो; पण जे काहीच शेष ठेवत नाहीत, त्यांना नेहमीच आपल्या धनाचेही सर्वस्व नष्ट होण्याची भीती राहते.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moderation and restraint in taking from others protects one’s own security: leaving something for others reduces retaliation and karmic/social backlash, whereas total plunder breeds constant fear of total loss.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira through a general maxim: how one treats others’ property shapes one’s own stability—restraint leads to preservation, ruthless taking leads to anxiety and ruin.