Shloka 26
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
भक्ताय नाहमिच्छामि भवेदेष तु धार्मिक: । धर्मेडस्य रमतां बुद्धिर्धर्म चैवोपजीवतु । धर्मप्रधानो भवतु ममैषो<नुग्रहो मतः
bhaktāya nāham icchāmi bhaved eṣa tu dhārmikaḥ | dharme 'sya ramatāṃ buddhir dharmaṃ caivopajīvatu | dharmapradhāno bhavatu mamaiṣo 'nugraho mataḥ ||
Sinabi ni Kuṇḍadhāra: “Hindi ko ninanais ang yaman para sa deboto ko. Sa halip, nawa’y maging tunay siyang matuwid. Nawa’y malugod ang kanyang pag-unawa sa dharma, at nawa’y mabuhay siya sa dharma lamang. Nawa’y ang dharma ang maging naghaharing tuntunin ng kanyang buhay—ito, sa aking palagay, ang pinakadakilang pabor na maipagkakaloob sa kanya.”
कुण्डधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest blessing is not material wealth but a life rooted in dharma: a mind that delights in righteousness and a livelihood sustained by ethical conduct.
Kuṇḍadhāra, speaking in a boon-giving context, refuses to ask for riches for his devotee and instead requests a moral-spiritual boon: that the devotee become steadfastly dharmic and live with dharma as the foremost priority.