Shloka 11
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! विदुरजीकी बात समाप्त होनेपर धर्म और अर्थके तत्त्वको जाननेवाले अर्थशास्त्रविशारद अर्जुनने युधिष्ठिरकी आज्ञा पाकर कहा ।।
arjuna uvāca | karmabhūmir iyaṃ rājan iha vārtā praśasyate | kṛṣir vāṇijya-gorakṣaṃ śilpāni vividhāni ca ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: “Ó Janamejaya! Quando Vidura terminou de falar, Arjuna—perito no Arthaśāstra e conhecedor da essência do dharma e do artha—por ordem de Yudhiṣṭhira declarou: ‘Ó Rei! Esta é uma terra de trabalho e dever. Aqui se louva o labor que serve de sustento. A agricultura, o comércio, a criação e proteção do gado, e os muitos ofícios e artes—tudo isso são meios de obter riqueza.’”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna emphasizes an Artha-oriented ethic: in a ‘karmabhūmi’ society, wealth and stability arise from praised, productive livelihoods—agriculture, commerce, cattle-rearing, and skilled crafts—linking material prosperity to orderly social functioning under dharma.
After Vidura’s discourse concludes, Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Arjuna—skilled in understanding dharma and artha—speaks at Yudhiṣṭhira’s command, beginning a practical statement about the praised means of livelihood in the world.