Shloka 46
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
अर्थनान्येन यो लिप्सेत् कर्मार्थ चैव भारत । आमन्त्रयति राजेन्द्र तस्याधर्मोडनृतं स्मृतम्
arthān anyena yo lipsed karmārthaṁ caiva bhārata | āmantrayati rājendra tasyādharmo 'nṛtaṁ smṛtam, bharatanandana ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó descendente de Bharata, ó rei dos reis, aquele que busca riqueza sob o pretexto de outro propósito, ou que atrai o doador dizendo: ‘Dá-me dinheiro para realizar tal rito’, é lembrado por isso como adharma e como falsidade; sua falta é como a de jurar falsamente sobre uma vaca.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Seeking money by disguising one’s real motive—whether by inventing another purpose (like pilgrimage) or by claiming it is needed for a ritual—counts as adharma and as anṛta (falsehood). The verse condemns pious pretexts used to manipulate donors.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma advises King Yudhiṣṭhira about ethical conduct connected with giving and receiving. Here he warns against deceptive solicitation that turns religious language into a tool for personal livelihood.