Shloka 42
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
जीवितं संत्यजन्त्येके धनलोभपरा जना: । न जीवितार्थ मन्यन्ते पुरुषा हि धनादृते
jīvitaṁ saṁtyajanty eke dhanalobhaparā janāḥ | na jīvitārthaṁ manyante puruṣā hi dhanād ṛte ||
Bhishma disse: Alguns, movidos pela cobiça de riqueza, chegam a entregar a própria vida. Tais homens não veem propósito em viver separado dos bens, como se a vida só tivesse sentido quando atada ao dinheiro.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma warns that obsession with wealth can become so extreme that people sacrifice even life itself, mistaking money for the sole purpose of living; the ethical lesson is to recognize wealth as a means, not the ultimate end, and to guard against lobha (greed) that destroys discernment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira by describing a common moral failing: people who are so attached to wealth that they disregard the true aims of life and even risk death for gain.