Shloka 35
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
अवज्ञानसहसैस्तु दोषा: कष्टतरा5धने । धने सुखकला या तु सापि दु:खैरविधीयते,“दरिद्रकों सहस्र-सहस्र तिरस्कार सहने पड़ते हैं; अतः निर्धन अवस्थामें बहुत-से कष्टदायक दोष हैं; और धनमें जो सुखका लेश प्रतीत होता है, वह भी दुःखोंसे ही सम्पादित होता है
avajñāna-sahasais tu doṣāḥ kaṣṭatarā dhane | dhane sukha-kalā yā tu sāpi duḥkhair vidhīyate ||
अवज्ञानसहस्रैस्तु दोषाः कष्टतराः धने । धने सुखकलाया तु सापि दुःखैरविधीयते ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights two linked truths: poverty brings repeated social humiliation and intense hardship, while even the pleasures associated with wealth are typically attained only through effort, strain, and suffering. The verse urges sober reflection on material conditions and the costs—social and personal—attached to them.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right living, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by reflecting on the lived realities of poverty and wealth, emphasizing the indignities faced by the poor and the hardship underlying worldly enjoyment.