Shloka 14
द्रोणाभिमुखानां निवारण-युद्धम् / Interceptions on the Droṇa-front
यो हि धर्म परित्यज्य भवत्यर्थपरो नर: । सोअस्माच्च हीयते लोकात् क्षुद्रभावं च गच्छति,जो मनुष्य धर्मका परित्याग करके अर्थपरायण हो जाता है, वह इस लोकसे (लौकिक स्वार्थसे) भ्रष्ट हो जाता है और नीच गतिको प्राप्त होता है
yo hi dharmaṁ parityajya bhavaty arthaparo naraḥ | so 'smāc ca hīyate lokāt kṣudrabhāvaṁ ca gacchati ||
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच—यो हि धर्मं परित्यज्य भवत्यर्थपरो नरः । सोऽस्माच्च हीयते लोकात् क्षुद्रभावं च गच्छति ॥
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prioritizing artha (gain, advantage) while abandoning dharma leads not to real success but to decline—loss of true worldly welfare and a fall into pettiness and ignoble conduct.
In the Drona Parva context, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the ethical collapse that comes from choosing expediency and self-interest over righteousness—an implicit commentary on the choices driving the Kurukṣetra war.