Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 29
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
नाल॑ सुखाय सुहृदो नाल॑ दुःखाय शत्रव: । न च प्रज्ञालमर्थानां न सुखानामलं धनम्
nālaṁ sukhāya suhṛdo nālaṁ duḥkhāya śatravaḥ | na ca prajñālam arthānāṁ na sukhānām alaṁ dhanam ||
Брахман сказал: Друзья не достаточны, чтобы гарантировать счастье, и враги не достаточны, чтобы неизбежно причинить несчастье. Один лишь ум не обеспечивает мирских целей, и одно лишь богатство не обеспечивает счастья.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
No single external factor—friends, enemies, intelligence, or wealth—fully determines happiness or suffering. The verse cautions against overreliance on any one support and implies that balanced discernment and dharmic conduct are necessary for true well-being.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, a Brahmin speaker delivers reflective instruction on the causes of happiness and sorrow, emphasizing that common assumptions (friends bring happiness, enemies bring misery, intelligence brings success, wealth brings pleasure) are incomplete and should be understood with nuance.