Shloka 146
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
दाने कोषक्षयोप्यस्य वैरं चास्याप्रयच्छत: । क्षणेनास्योपवर्तन्ते दोषा वैराग्यकारका:
dāne koṣa-kṣayo 'py asya vairaṃ cāsyāprayacchataḥ | kṣaṇenāsyopavartante doṣā vairāgya-kārakāḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kung magbibigay siya ng yaman bilang kaloob, mauubos ang kanyang kabang-yaman; ngunit kung wala siyang ibibigay kaninuman, lalago ang poot laban sa kanya. Kaya sa bawat sandali, may mga kapintasan na sumisibol sa harap niya—mga kapintasang nagbubunga ng paglayo ng loob at nagtutulak sa kanya na talikuran ang bigat ng paghahari.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights a ruler’s ethical dilemma: excessive giving can exhaust the treasury, while refusing to give breeds public resentment and enmity. The king must practice balanced, discerning generosity; otherwise, the constant emergence of such governance-faults can lead to disillusionment and detachment from royal duty.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira about the pressures and contradictions inherent in ruling. He describes how, in practical administration, a king repeatedly confronts competing demands—resource limits versus social expectations—creating recurring ‘doṣas’ that can push a ruler toward vairagya.