Shloka 18
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 71 — Kṣatra-dharma Counsel, Public Legitimacy, and Mobilization
कुले जातस्य वृद्धस्य परवित्तेषु गृद्धयत: । लोभ: प्रज्ञानमाहन्ति प्रज्ञा हन्ति हता द्वियम्
kule jātasya vṛddhasya paravitteṣu gṛddhyataḥ | lobhaḥ prajñām āhanti prajñā hanti hatā dhriyam ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Kahit ang taong isinilang sa marangal na angkan at may gulang na—kung maghahangad pa rin ng yaman ng iba—ang kasakiman ang papatay sa kanyang paghatol. At kapag napuksa ang paghatol, siya naman ang pumupuksa sa pagpipigil-sa-sarili at sa hiya, at iniiwan siyang ligaw sa landas ng katuwiran.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Greed for another’s wealth erodes discernment (prajñā); once judgment collapses, a person’s restraint and moral steadiness (dhṛti) also collapse, leading to unethical action even in those expected to be virtuous by birth and age.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral warning: covetousness is not merely a desire but a force that dismantles the inner faculties needed for dharma, thereby explaining how respected elders can still fall into wrongdoing.