Shloka 6
असंतोषादिदोष-निरूपणम्
On the Faults of Discontent and the Discipline of Detachment
आत्मोदरकृते<प्राज्ञ: करोति विघसं बहु | जयोदरं पृथिव्या ते श्रेयो निर्जितया जितम्
ātmodarākṛte prājñaḥ karoti vighasaṃ bahu | jayodaraṃ pṛthivyā te śreyo nirjitayā jitam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Por causa do próprio ventre, o homem sem sabedoria comete muita violência e maldade. Portanto, conquista primeiro o teu ‘ventre’ — o apetite e a cobiça. Quando essa vitória interior for alcançada, será como se, por meio desta terra já conquistada, tivesses vencido aquilo que é verdadeiramente auspicioso e benéfico.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True victory begins with self-mastery: craving for food and comfort can drive a person into violence and injustice. Conquering appetite and greed is presented as a higher, more auspicious conquest than merely winning territory.
In the Shanti Parva’s moral instruction on dharma and governance, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks reflectively, contrasting external conquest (of the earth/kingdom) with the more difficult and ethically decisive conquest of one’s own desires.