Shloka 15
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
यत् तु निश्रेयसं सम्यक् तच्चैवासंशयात्मकम्
yat tu niśreyasaṃ samyak tac caivāsaṃśayātmakam | suhṛdām anugrahaḥ śatrubhāva-dhāriṇāṃ duṣṭānāṃ daṇḍanaṃ tathā dharmārtha-kāma-saṃgrahaś ca—idaṃ manīṣiṇaḥ śreya ity āhuḥ ||
Nārada disse: “Aquilo que verdadeiramente conduz ao bem supremo (niśreyasa), quando corretamente compreendido, é por sua própria natureza livre de dúvida. Favorecer e amparar os bem-intencionados, punir os perversos que nutrem inimizade, e assegurar os três fins —dharma, prosperidade material (artha) e desejo legítimo (kāma)—: isto é o que os sábios chamam de ‘o bem’ (śreyas).”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
True welfare (niśreyasa/śreyas) is not uncertain or speculative; it is recognized by clear ethical duties: support the well-disposed, restrain and punish the malicious who act from enmity, and responsibly secure dharma, artha, and kāma in a balanced way.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance and conduct, Nārada states criteria for what counts as genuine ‘good’: benevolence toward allies and well-wishers, firm punishment of hostile wrongdoers, and the orderly pursuit of the three human aims (dharma, artha, kāma).