Shloka 15
धन-राजधर्म संवादः
Discourse on Wealth and Royal Duty
पतित: शोच्यते राजन् निर्धनश्वापि शोच्यते । विशेष नाधिगच्छामि पतितस्याधनस्य च,राजन! जैसे पतित मनुष्य शोचनीय होता है, वैसे ही निर्धन भी होता है; मुझे पतित और निर्धनमें कोई अन्तर नहीं जान पड़ता
patitaḥ śocyate rājan nirdhanaś cāpi śocyate | viśeṣaṁ nādhigacchāmi patitasyādhanasya ca ||
అర్జునుడు అన్నాడు— రాజా! పతితుడు ఎలా శోచనీయుడో, అలాగే ధనహీనుడూ శోచనీయుడే. పతితుడికీ ధనహీనుడికీ మధ్య నాకు ప్రత్యేకమైన భేదం కనిపించదు.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse equates two kinds of human suffering—moral/social downfall and material poverty—highlighting that both conditions invite pity and demand ethical concern, and that society’s judgment often treats them similarly.
Arjuna addresses a king and reflects on how people respond to misfortune: both a ‘fallen’ person and a poor person are regarded as pitiable, and he states he sees no meaningful difference between these two states.