न विद्वान् विद्यया हीन॑ वृत्त्यर्थमुपसंश्रयेत् । कभी-कभी विद्वान् और मूर्ख दोनों एक-जैसे धनी दिखायी देते हैं। कभी खोटी बुद्धिवाले मनुष्य तो धनवान् हो जाते हैं (और अच्छी बुद्धि रखनेवाले मनुष्यको थोड़ा-सा धन भी नहीं मिलता)। यदि विद्या पढ़कर मनुष्य अवश्य ही सुख पा लेता तो विद्वानको जीविकाके लिये किसी मूर्ख धनीका आश्रय नहीं लेना पड़ता
na vidvān vidyayā hīnaṁ vṛttyartham upasaṁśrayet |
尤提士提罗说道:“真正有学识的人,不应为谋生而投靠无学之辈。然而世间常见智者与愚者似乎同样富有;有时心智邪曲者反而致富,而聪慧之人却几无资财。若仅凭读书求知便必然得乐,那么学者就绝不会被迫为生计而依赖富有的愚人。”
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse highlights the tension between ideal conduct and worldly reality: learning and virtue do not always bring material security, and the wise may be forced into dependence on the wealthy but unwise. It implicitly critiques a social order where wealth does not reliably follow merit, and it urges reflection on what constitutes true well-being beyond mere riches.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking in a reflective, questioning mode, observing that in society the distribution of wealth often appears unjust—fools may prosper while the learned struggle. He uses this observation to argue that if knowledge automatically guaranteed happiness and prosperity, learned people would never need to seek support from rich but ignorant patrons.