Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
दुःखं जरा ब्रद्य॒दत्त दुःखमर्थविपर्यय: । दुःखं चानिष्टसंवासो दुःखमिष्टवियोजनम्,महाराज ब्रह्मदत्त! दुःखके अनेक रूप हैं। बुढ़ापा दुःख है, धनका नाश दु:ख है, अप्रियजनोंके साथ रहना दुःख है और प्रियजनोंसे बिछुड़ना दुःख है
duḥkhaṃ jarā brahmadatta duḥkham arthaviparyayaḥ | duḥkhaṃ cāniṣṭasaṃvāso duḥkham iṣṭaviyojanam ||
Brahmadatta disse: “A dor tem muitas formas. A velhice é dor; a inversão ou perda da riqueza é dor; habitar com quem não se estima é dor; e separar-se de quem se ama é dor.”
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Suffering is not a single event but a set of recurring life-conditions—aging, instability of wealth, unpleasant associations, and separation from loved ones—so one should cultivate clarity, restraint, and detachment rather than expecting lasting comfort from worldly arrangements.
In a didactic exchange within the Śānti Parva, the speaker Brahmadatta enumerates common sources of duḥkha to instruct the listener (addressed as “mahārāja”) about the realities of worldly life and the need for wise, ethical orientation amid inevitable change.