Shloka 9
अध्याय २८६ — पराशर-उपदेशः
Ethical Restraint, Mortality, and Karma
सहस्रिणो5पि जीवन्ति जीवन्ति शतिनस्तथा । शाकेन चान्ये जीवन्ति पश्यास्मानपि जीवत:,जिनके पास हजारों रुपये हैं, वे भी जीते हैं। जिनके पास सैकड़ों रुपयोंका संग्रह है, वे भी जीवन धारण करते हैं। दूसरे लोग सागसे ही जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं। उसी तरह हमें भी जीवित समझिये
sahasriṇo 'pi jīvanti jīvanti śatino tathā | śākena cānye jīvanti paśyāsmān api jīvataḥ ||
ہزاروں والے بھی جیتے ہیں؛ اسی طرح سینکڑوں والے بھی جیتے ہیں۔ کچھ لوگ صرف ساگ پات پر گزارا کر لیتے ہیں—اسی طرح ہمیں بھی زندہ اور اپنے آپ کو سنبھالنے کے قابل سمجھو۔
समड़ उवाच
Educational Q&A
That mere survival and a worthy life are not guaranteed by wealth: the rich live, the moderately wealthy live, and even those who subsist on simple greens live. Therefore one should not measure life’s value by possessions; contentment and simple means can sustain life.
The speaker argues against equating well-being with riches, pointing out that people live at many economic levels. By saying “consider us too as living,” he asserts the legitimacy and sufficiency of a simple livelihood, likely to counter pressure, contempt, or demands rooted in wealth.