Shloka 143
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
तस्मात् सर्वास्ववस्थासु नरो लोभ विवर्जयेत् । एष धर्म: परो राजंस्तस्माल्लोभं॑ विवर्जयेत्
tasmāt sarvāsv avasthāsu naro lobhaṁ vivarjayet | eṣa dharmaḥ paro rājan tasmāl lobhaṁ vivarjayet ||
तस्मात्सर्वास्ववस्थासु नरो लोभं विवर्जयेत्। एष धर्मः परो राजंस्तस्माल्लोभं विवर्जयेत्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Greed (lobha) should be abandoned in every circumstance; renouncing greed is presented as the highest form of dharma because it protects judgment, restraint, and righteous conduct.
Bhīṣma, instructing the king during the Anuśāsana Parva’s ethical discourse, emphasizes a practical rule of conduct: regardless of one’s situation, one should avoid greed, since it undermines dharma and good governance.