Shloka 8
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
धर्मो राजन् गुण: श्रेष्ठो मध्यमो हार्थ उच्यते । कामो यवीयानिति च प्रवदन्ति मनीषिण:,राजन! धर्म ही श्रेष्ठ गुण है, अर्थको मध्यम बताया जाता है और काम सबकी अपेक्षा लघु है; ऐसा मनीषी पुरुष कहते हैं
dharmo rājan guṇaḥ śreṣṭho madhyamo hy artha ucyate | kāmo yavīyān iti ca pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ ||
धर्मो राजन् गुणः श्रेष्ठो मध्यमो ह्यर्थ उच्यते । कामो यवीयानिति च प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः ॥
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse ranks human aims: Dharma is supreme, Artha is secondary, and Kāma is the least. Ethical duty and righteousness should govern the pursuit of wealth and pleasure, not the other way around.
Vidura addresses a king and offers counsel in the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, presenting a normative principle for governance and personal conduct: the ruler (and all people) should prioritize Dharma above material gain and sensual desire.