Shloka 22
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
त्रैवार्षिकादू यदा भक्तादथिकं स्याद् द्विजस्य तु | यजेत तेन द्रव्येण न वृथा साधयेद् धनम्
traivārṣikād ū yadā bhaktād adhikaṃ syād dvijasya tu | yajeta tena dravyeṇa na vṛthā sādhayed dhanam ||
Bhishma berkata: “Apabila seorang yang dua-kali-lahir (dvija) mendapati bekalannya melebihi keperluan untuk tiga tahun kehidupan, hendaklah dia menggunakan lebihan itu untuk yajña dan pemberian suci, bukan mengumpul harta tanpa tujuan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not hoard wealth beyond reasonable security; if one has surplus beyond three years’ maintenance, it should be redirected into yajña and dharmic distribution, turning private excess into public and spiritual good.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially norms of conduct and right use of wealth), he sets a practical limit for accumulation and prescribes sacrifice/charitable religious use for surplus, framing wealth as a trust to be used purposefully.