Shloka 20

अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था

Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire

Devanagari script

संचितं संचितं द्रव्यं नष्टं तव पुनः पुनः । कदाचिन्मोक्ष्यसे मूढ धनेहां धनकामुक,'तूने बार-बार द्रव्यका संचय किया और वह बारंबार नष्ट होता चला गया। धनकी इच्छा रखनेवाले मूढ! क्या कभी तू धनकी इस तृष्णा और चेष्टाका त्याग भी करेगा?

Transliteration

sañcitaṃ sañcitaṃ dravyaṃ naṣṭaṃ tava punaḥ punaḥ | kadācin mokṣyase mūḍha dhanehāṃ dhanakāmuka ||

Translation

Disse Bhīṣma: “Vez após vez acumulaste riquezas, e vez após vez elas se perderam. Ó iludido, ó buscador de ouro—renunciarás algum dia a esta cobiça e a este esforço inquieto por riqueza?”

Word by Word

संचितम्accumulated, stored

संचितम्again accumulated (repeatedly stored)

द्रव्यम्wealth, property

नष्टम्destroyed, lost

तवof you, your

पुनःagain

पुनःagain (repeatedly)

कदाचित्ever, at any time

मोक्ष्यसेwill you be released / will you let go

मूढO deluded one, O fool

धन-ईहाम्the striving/endeavor for wealth

धनकामुकO wealth-desirer, O money-craver

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Wealth is unstable and repeatedly lost; therefore one should recognize the futility of endless accumulation and cultivate detachment by abandoning obsessive craving and ceaseless pursuit of riches.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on right conduct, Bhīṣma admonishes a wealth-obsessed person, pointing out the repeated cycle of hoarding and loss and urging a turning away from greed toward inner freedom.