Shloka 233
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
धनमित्येव पापानां सर्वेषामिह निश्चय: । जो दुष्ट धर्ममार्गसे भ्रष्ट होकर आसुरी प्रवृत्तिमें लगा रहता है और स्वधर्मका परित्याग करके पापसे जीविका चलाना चाहता है
dhanam ity eva pāpānāṃ sarveṣām iha niścayaḥ |
毗湿摩说：“世间一切罪人，其定见唯此：‘财富——唯有财富。’”在伦理语境中，此句指出一种败坏心态：以物质利益为唯一准绳，遮蔽达摩，使作恶也显得仿佛有理。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse diagnoses the inner certainty of the wicked: they reduce life to the pursuit of wealth alone. It warns that when wealth becomes the sole ‘niścaya’ (fixed conclusion), dharma is displaced and wrongdoing becomes normalized.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and governance after the war. Here he characterizes the mentality of pāpātmans (wrongdoers), emphasizing that their guiding principle is simply acquisition of wealth, a mindset a ruler must recognize when upholding order.