Shloka 4
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
स निश्चयमथो कृत्वा पूजयामास देवता: । भकक््त्या न चैवाध्यगच्छद् धन॑ सम्पूज्य देवता:,यही निश्चय करके उसने भक्तिपूर्वक देवताओंकी पूजा-अर्चा आरम्भ की। परंतु देवताओंकी पूजा करके भी वह धन न पा सका
sa niścayam atho kṛtvā pūjayāmāsa devatāḥ | bhaktyā na caivādhyagacchad dhanaṃ sampūjya devatāḥ ||
Bhishma nói: “Đã quyết chí như vậy, ông bắt đầu thờ phụng các thần linh với lòng sùng kính. Nhưng dù kính lễ các thần, ông vẫn không đạt được của cải.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Devotional worship alone does not guarantee material gain; outcomes depend on a broader web of causes (karma, right means, and circumstance). The verse cautions against treating devotion as a mere instrument for wealth.
A person, after making a determined decision, begins worshipping the deities with devotion, but despite proper worship he fails to obtain wealth—setting up a reflection on desire, effort, and the limits of ritual as a means to worldly ends.