Shloka 31
कलत्रमादित: कृत्वा सर्व वो विनशेदिति । अपि चेत् पुत्रदारार्थमर्थसंचय इष्यते,'शत्रुओंका आक्रमण होनेपर आपकी स्त्रियोंपर पहले संकट आयगा। उनके साथ ही आपका सारा धन नष्ट हो जायगा। स्त्री और पुत्रोंकी रक्षाके लिये ही धनसंग्रहकी आवश्यकता होती है
kalatram āditaḥ kṛtvā sarva vo vinaśed iti | api cet putradārārtham arthasañcaya iṣyate ||
Bhishma disse: “Quando os inimigos atacam, o perigo recai primeiro sobre a esposa e a casa; e com eles pode perecer tudo o que possuís. Ainda que se aprove a acumulação de riqueza para proteger filhos e esposa, lembrai-vos de que, na calamidade, aqueles por quem se ajunta o tesouro tornam-se o primeiro ponto de risco. Por isso, ponderai com discernimento o apego, a proteção e a prudência.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth is often justified as a means to protect one’s family, yet in times of attack or crisis the family becomes the first locus of vulnerability; therefore one should not be blindly attached to possessions or dependents, but act with discernment about security, priorities, and the limits of material protection.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and practical ethics. Here he warns about the consequences of enemy aggression: when danger comes, wives and children are threatened first, and with them one’s accumulated wealth can be lost—prompting reflection on why wealth is gathered and how to respond wisely in adversity.