Shloka 18

Devanagari script

धनहेतोर्य ईहेत तस्यानीहा गरीयसी । भूयान्‌ दोषो हि वित्तस्य यश्व धर्मस्तदाश्रय:,“जो धनके लिये चेष्टा करता है, उसका निश्रेष्ट होकर बैठ रहना ही ठीक है, क्योंकि धन और उसके आश्रित धर्ममें महान्‌ दोष दिखायी देता है

Transliteration

dhanahetor ya īheta tasyānīhā garīyasī | bhūyān doṣo hi vittasya yaś ca dharmas tadāśrayaḥ ||

Translation

جو شخص دولت ہی کو مقصد بنا کر کوشش کرتا ہے، اس کے لیے بہتر یہی ہے کہ وہ ایسی دوڑ دھوپ سے باز رہے اور بےفکری سے رہے؛ کیونکہ مال میں بڑے عیوب ہیں، اور جو دھرم مال پر قائم ہو وہ بھی انہی عیوب سے آلودہ ہو جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

धनहेतोःfor the sake of wealth

यःwho

ईहेतshould strive / would strive

तस्यfor him / of him

अनीहाnon-striving, inaction

गरीयसीbetter, more weighty

भूयान्greater

दोषःfault, defect

हिindeed, for

वित्तस्यof wealth

यश्चand which / and who

धर्मःdharma, righteousness

तदाश्रयःdependent on that (wealth)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Effort driven primarily by the desire for wealth is ethically risky; non-acquisitive restraint is preferable because wealth tends to bring moral defects, and even righteous acts funded by wealth can become compromised by attachment, pride, exploitation, or impurity of means.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana reports a teaching that evaluates wealth-seeking behavior, warning that the pursuit of riches and wealth-dependent religiosity can be morally blemished, and recommending restraint from such pursuit.