Shloka 23
कालनियमः शोकशमनं च
Kāla as Regulator; Pacification of Grief
अधन: कस्य किं वाच्यो विमुक्त: सर्वश: सुखी । देवस्वमुपगृहीव धनेन न सुखी भवेत्
adhanaḥ kasya kiṁ vācyo vimuktaḥ sarvaśaḥ sukhī | devasvam upagṛhīva dhanena na sukhī bhavet ||
Вайшампаяна сказал: «Что можно сказать человеку без богатства и что можно с него требовать? Он свободен от всякого страха и живёт счастливо. Даже если бы кто-то присвоил имущество богов, он всё равно не стал бы счастливым благодаря богатству».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Happiness is not guaranteed by wealth; craving and the burdens of possession breed fear and unrest. Even unethical acquisition—symbolized by taking what belongs to the gods—cannot produce true contentment, whereas freedom from attachment can bring ease.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration within the Śānti Parva’s moral instruction, a reflective maxim is stated: the poor are difficult to pressure or hold to worldly expectations, and a person unencumbered by possessions may live more fearlessly; wealth, even when gained by wrongdoing, does not ensure happiness.