Shloka 14
Adhyāya 159 — Dāna–Dakṣiṇā, Āpaddharma Measures, and Prāyaścitta Classifications
यो न देवैर्न गन्धर्वैर्नासुरैर्न महोरगै: । ज्ञायते नृप तत्त्वेन सर्वैर्भूतगणैस्तथा,लोभी मनुष्य बहुत-सा लाभ पाकर भी संतुष्ट नहीं होता। भोगोंसे वह कभी तृप्त नहीं होता। नरेश्वर! न देवताओं, न गन्धर्वों, न असुरों, न बड़े-बड़े नागों और न सम्पूर्ण भूतगणोंद्वारा ही लोभका स्वरूप यथार्थ-रूपसे जाना जाता है
yo na devair na gandharvair nāsurair na mahoragaiḥ | jñāyate nṛpa tattvena sarvair bhūta-gaṇais tathā ||
lobhī manuṣyo bahu-sā lābhaṃ prāpya api na saṃtuṣyati | bhogaiḥ sa kadācana na tṛpyati | nareśvara! na devatābhiḥ, na gandharvaiḥ, na asuraiḥ, na mahā-nāgaiḥ, na ca samastaiḥ bhūta-gaṇaiḥ lobhasya svarūpaṃ yathārtha-rūpeṇa jñāyate ||
بھیشم نے کہا—اے راجا! لالچ کی حقیقی ماہیت نہ دیوتاؤں کو معلوم ہے، نہ گندھرووں کو، نہ اسوروں کو، نہ عظیم ناگوں کو، اور نہ ہی تمام اقسامِ مخلوقات کو۔ لالچی انسان بہت سا فائدہ پا کر بھی قناعت نہیں کرتا؛ اور لذتوں کے ذریعے بھی وہ کبھی سیر نہیں ہوتا۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Greed (lobha) is intrinsically insatiable: even great gains do not produce contentment, and pleasures do not bring true satisfaction. The verse warns that greed is subtle and overpowering—so difficult to grasp that even exalted beings are said not to know its real nature—thereby urging deliberate cultivation of restraint and contentment.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhīṣma continues his ethical teaching by describing the nature of greed. Addressing the ruler directly, he characterizes greed as universally elusive and practically limitless in its appetite, reinforcing the moral counsel expected of a king and of human conduct generally.