Shloka 18
अदारा-नीति
Crisis Composure) and ‘Jaya’ Śravaṇa (Morale-Instruction
बुद्धिमान् पुरुष इस जगत्में अत्यन्त अल्पमात्रामें अप्रियकी इच्छा करता है। लोकमें जिसका प्रिय अल्प होता है, उसका अप्रिय भी निश्चय ही अल्प होगा ।।
priyābhāvāc ca puruṣo naiva prāpnoti śobhanam | dhruvaṃ cābhāvam abhyeti gatvā gaḍeva sāgaram ||
Kapag ang tao ay salat sa minamahal at kaaya-aya, hindi niya nakakamit ang tunay na mapalad at marikit sa buhay. Sa halip, tiyak siyang tumutungo sa pagkalugi at kawalan—gaya ng batis na, sa patuloy na pagdaloy, ay naglalaho sa dagat.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
A life stripped of wholesome ‘priya’—rightly directed affections, aims, and sources of joy—fails to reach ‘śobhana’ (true good/auspiciousness) and instead tends toward ‘abhāva’ (privation). The verse uses a natural simile to stress inevitability: absence of the dear leads to a predictable diminishment of well-being.
In Udyoga Parva’s counsel-filled setting, the speaker (identified as ‘the son’) offers reflective instruction on human motivation and outcomes. The verse functions as a moral observation within advisory dialogue: it frames how managing what one seeks as ‘dear’ affects one’s experience of gain, loss, and the quality of life.