Shloka 6
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
जो एक हजार गौ तथा एक सौ घोड़े दान करता है तथा दूसरा जो सम्पूर्ण भूतोंको अभयदान देता है, वह सदा गौ और अभ्वदान करनेवालेसे बढ़ा-चढ़ा रहता है ।।
yo eka-sahasraṃ gāḥ tathā eka-śataṃ ghoḍān dānaṃ karoti tathā dvitīyaḥ yaḥ sarva-bhūtebhyo ’bhaya-dānaṃ dadāti, sa sadā go-dātṛ-aśva-dātṛbhyaḥ śreṣṭhataraḥ bhavati. vasan viṣaya-madhye ’pi na vasaty eva buddhimān; saṃvasaty eva durbuddhir asatsu viṣayeṣv api.
Parāśara disse: “Um pode doar mil vacas e cem cavalos; outro concede destemor a todos os seres. O que concede destemor é sempre tido como superior ao doador de vacas e cavalos. Do mesmo modo, o sábio pode viver entre os objetos dos sentidos e, ainda assim, não ‘vive neles’, pois permanece desapegado; mas aquele de entendimento corrompido habita nos objetos dos sentidos mesmo quando eles não estão presentes, porque sua mente se agarra continuamente a eles.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse ranks ethical protection above material charity: giving fearlessness to all beings surpasses even lavish gifts like cows and horses. It also teaches that true renunciation is mental—wisdom is to remain unattached even while living amid objects, whereas a deluded mind clings to them even in their absence.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Parāśara delivers a moral comparison: external generosity is praised, but the highest gift is ensuring safety and non-harm to living beings. He then reinforces the point with a psychological observation about attachment and the difference between the wise and the deluded.