Shloka 18
धन-राजधर्म संवादः
Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty
अर्थन हि विहीनस्य पुरुषस्याल्पमेधस: । विच्छिद्यन्ते क्रिया: सर्वा ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा
arthena hi vihīnasya puruṣasyālpamedhasaḥ | vicchidyante kriyāḥ sarvā grīṣme kusarito yathā ||
Arjuna berkata: “Bagi seorang yang kurang pengertian dan kehilangan harta, segala usaha dan kewajipan akan terputus dan gagal—seperti anak-anak sungai yang kecil terpecah dan kering dalam panas musim kemarau.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Material means (artha) strongly condition a person’s capacity to sustain duties and projects; without resources, especially for the short-sighted, actions and obligations tend to collapse—hence ethical life must account for practical support, not ideals alone.
Arjuna voices a reflective observation in the Shanti Parva’s discourse: he uses a seasonal metaphor—small streams drying in summer—to illustrate how a resource-less person’s activities and commitments get disrupted and fail.