Shloka 28
Nīti for Calamity, Wealth, Friendship, Charity, and Restraint of Kāma
अतिक्लेशेन ये ऽप्यर्था धर्मस्यातिक्रमेण च / अरेर्वा प्रणिपातेन मा भूतस्ते कदाचन
atikleśena ye 'pyarthā dharmasyātikrameṇa ca / arervā praṇipātena mā bhūtaste kadācana
Bahkan keuntungan yang datang melalui kesusahan yang melampau, melalui pelanggaran dharma, atau melalui tunduk sujud kepada musuh—semoga keuntungan seperti itu tidak pernah menjadi milikmu pada bila-bila masa.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Not all artha is desirable: gains obtained through adharma, degrading submission, or crushing hardship are spiritually and ethically unfit.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma as higher than artha; inner freedom through refusing corrupt means; śreyas over preyas.
Application: Choose livelihood aligned with ethics; refuse corrupt deals and humiliating compromises; prioritize sustainable, dharmic earning.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: ethical counsel
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: artha-śuddhi and dharma-atikkrama warnings in moral sections
FAQs
This verse warns that gains obtained by violating dharma—or by degrading oneself before hostile forces—are not worth having; righteous means matter as much as results.
By discouraging adharma-driven acquisition, it points to the karmic principle that unethical actions bind the soul; pure conduct supports a safer post-death trajectory described throughout the Garuda Purana.
Choose income and success that do not require unethical shortcuts, harmful overstrain, or humiliating compromise—prioritize dignity and dharma over expedient profit.