Shloka 23
कर्म–ज्ञान–दैव–स्वभावविचारः
Inquiry into Karma, Knowledge, Fate, and Nature
न हृष्यत्यर्थलाभेषु नालाभे तु व्यथत्यपि । स्थिरबुद्धिरसक्तात्मा तस्मातू् सर्वत्र पूजित:
na hṛṣyaty artha-lābheṣu nālābhe tu vyathaty api | sthira-buddhir asaktātmā tasmāt sarvatra pūjitaḥ ||
न हृष्यत्यर्थलाभेषु नालाभे तु व्यथत्यपि । स्थिरबुद्धिरसक्तात्मा तस्मात् सर्वत्र पूजितः ॥
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
True steadiness is shown by remaining even-minded in profit and loss. One who neither exults at gain nor grieves at non-gain, and whose mind is unattached, becomes worthy of respect everywhere.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Vāyu-deva speaks a didactic verse praising the qualities of a disciplined, detached person—using the contrast of gain versus non-gain to define inner stability and the social reverence it naturally attracts.