Shloka 36
धनमस्येति पुरुष पुरो निघ्नन्ति दस्यव: । क्लिश्यन्ति विविषधैर्दण्डैर्नित्यमुद्रेजयन्ति च,“जिस पुरुषके पास धन होनेका संदेह होता है, उसे उसका धन लूटनेके लिये लुटेरे मार डालते हैं अथवा उसे तरह-तरहकी पीड़ाएँ देकर सताते और सदा उद्वेगमें डाले रहते हैं
dhanam asyeti puruṣaṃ puro nighnanti dasyavaḥ | kliśyanti viviṣadhair daṇḍair nityam udrejayanti ca ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “Kapag pinaghihinalaan ng mga tulisan na ang isang tao’y may yaman, agad nila siyang pinabubuwal at pinapatay; o kaya’y pinahihirapan sa sari-saring parusa, inilulubog siya sa walang patid na takot at pagkabalisa—upang maagaw ang kanyang kayamanan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth attracts predation: mere suspicion of riches can make a person a target of violence and coercion. Bhīṣma highlights the ethical and practical vulnerability created by attachment to or display of wealth, implying the need for restraint, prudence, and—at the societal level—strong protection of subjects.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes how robbers behave toward someone believed to have money: they may kill him outright or torture and intimidate him continually to extract or seize his wealth. The verse functions as a cautionary observation about worldly life and insecurity.