Shloka 9
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
दुष्करं बत कुर्वन्ति महतो<र्थास्त्यजन्ति ये । वयं त्वेतान् परित्यक्तुमसतो5पि न शकक्नुम:,मेरी समझमें जो अपनी विशाल सम्पत्तिको त्याग देते हैं वे अत्यन्त दुष्कर कार्य करते हैं। मेरे पास तो अब धनके नामपर कुछ नहीं है, तो भी मैं उसका मोह नहीं छोड़ पाता हूँ
duṣkaraṃ bata kurvanti mahato 'rthās tyajanti ye | vayaṃ tv etān parityaktum asato 'pi na śaknūmaḥ ||
Pada hematku, sesiapa yang sanggup melepaskan harta yang besar melakukan sesuatu yang amat sukar. Adapun aku, kini hampir tiada apa pun yang boleh disebut kekayaan, namun aku masih tidak mampu membuang keterikatan terhadapnya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Renouncing external wealth is difficult, but even more revealing is that attachment can persist without possessions; true renunciation is primarily an inner release from craving and identification with ‘mine’.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhishma reflects on the power of attachment: he praises those who can give up great riches and admits how hard it is to abandon the very tendency to cling, even when one has little or nothing.