Shloka 9
अध्याय २८६ — पराशर-उपदेशः
Ethical Restraint, Mortality, and Karma
सहस्रिणो5पि जीवन्ति जीवन्ति शतिनस्तथा । शाकेन चान्ये जीवन्ति पश्यास्मानपि जीवत:,जिनके पास हजारों रुपये हैं, वे भी जीते हैं। जिनके पास सैकड़ों रुपयोंका संग्रह है, वे भी जीवन धारण करते हैं। दूसरे लोग सागसे ही जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं। उसी तरह हमें भी जीवित समझिये
sahasriṇo 'pi jīvanti jīvanti śatino tathā | śākena cānye jīvanti paśyāsmān api jīvataḥ ||
వేల సంపద ఉన్నవారూ జీవిస్తారు; వందలే ఉన్నవారూ అలాగే జీవిస్తారు. మరికొందరు ఆకుకూరలతోనే జీవనాన్ని నడుపుతారు—అలాగే మమ్మల్నీ జీవించగలవారిగా భావించండి.
समड़ उवाच
Educational Q&A
That mere survival and a worthy life are not guaranteed by wealth: the rich live, the moderately wealthy live, and even those who subsist on simple greens live. Therefore one should not measure life’s value by possessions; contentment and simple means can sustain life.
The speaker argues against equating well-being with riches, pointing out that people live at many economic levels. By saying “consider us too as living,” he asserts the legitimacy and sufficiency of a simple livelihood, likely to counter pressure, contempt, or demands rooted in wealth.