Shloka 51
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
यो घृतार्थी खरीक्षीरं मथेद् गन्धर्वसत्तम | विष्ठां तत्रानुपश्येत न मण्डं न च वै घृतम्
yo ghṛtārthī kharīkṣīraṃ mathed gandharvasattama | viṣṭhāṃ tatrānupaśyet na maṇḍaṃ na ca vai ghṛtam, gandharvaśiromaṇe ||
Yājñavalkya berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik antara para Gandharva, jika seseorang menginginkan ghee tetapi mengocak susu keldai betina, dia hanya akan menemui kekotoran; dia tidak akan memperoleh mentega mahupun ghee. Ajarannya ialah: apabila seseorang memilih jalan yang tidak layak atau menuntut tujuan mulia daripada sumber yang cemar dan tidak wajar, hasilnya bukan kebaikan yang dicari, melainkan kehinaan dan kekecewaan.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
A worthy goal cannot be reliably attained through unworthy or unsuitable means. Seeking refined results (like ghee) from an improper source (like a she-ass’s milk) yields only defilement—an ethical warning to choose proper methods, teachers, and foundations for one’s aims.
Yājñavalkya addresses an eminent Gandharva and uses a sharp household metaphor: churning an unfit milk in hopes of ghee leads not to butter or ghee but to filth. The statement functions as a moral illustration within the Shanti Parva’s instruction on conduct and discernment.