Shloka 22
Akrūra in Hastināpura: Kuntī’s Lament and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Moral Instruction
अधर्मोपचितं वित्तं हरन्त्यन्येऽल्पमेधस: । सम्भोजनीयापदेशैर्जलानीव जलौकस: ॥ २२ ॥
adharmopacitaṁ vittaṁ haranty anye ’lpa-medhasaḥ sambhojanīyāpadeśair jalānīva jalaukasaḥ
愚昧之人以不义聚敛之财，常被他人假托“亲爱依附者”之名而夺去；犹如鱼子鱼苗饮尽那维系母鱼之水。
Ordinary people feel they cannot live without their wealth, although their possession of it is circumstantial and temporary. Just as wealth gives life to an ordinary man, water gives life to a fish. One’s dear dependents, however, steal one’s wealth, just as a fish’s offspring drink up the water sustaining the fish. In the words of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, this world is “a weird abode.”
FAQs
This verse says that money accumulated through irreligion does not remain; it is ultimately taken away by others, often through seemingly respectable pretexts like hospitality or social enjoyment.
He uses the leech metaphor to show how opportunistic people drain ill-gotten wealth from the foolish, just as leeches draw liquid from a host—quietly and under cover of normal contact.
Earn honestly and ethically, avoid shortcuts rooted in harm or deceit, and be discerning about relationships that revolve around consumption and flattery—otherwise wealth tends to leak away through exploitation and instability.