Shloka 10
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
इमामवस्थां सम्प्राप्तं दीनमार्त श्रिया च्युतम् । यदन्यत् सुखमस्तीह तद् ब्रह्मन्ननुशाधि माम्
imām avasthāṁ samprāptaṁ dīnam ārtaṁ śriyā cyutam | yad anyat sukham astīha tad brahmann anuśādhi mām ||
Ó brâmane! Caí nesta condição lastimável—privado da fortuna régia, miserável e aflito. Se neste mundo há alguma felicidade além da riqueza, instrui-me nela.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: when prosperity and status collapse, one must ask what enduring happiness remains beyond wealth. It sets up instruction on inner goods—dharma, self-control, contentment, and spiritual insight—as sources of well-being not dependent on external fortune.
Bhishma, speaking to a Brahmin teacher, describes his fallen, distressed condition—stripped of royal prosperity—and requests guidance about any happiness available in the world apart from material wealth.