Shloka 43
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
धनेन जयते लोकावुभौ परमिमं तथा । सत्यं च धर्मवचनं यथा नास्त्यधनस्तथा
dhanena jayate lokāv ubhau param imau tathā | satyaṃ ca dharmavacanaṃ yathā nāsty adhanas tathā ||
毗湿摩说道：“凭借财富，人能在两界得势——此世与来世。凭借财富，亦能守持真实，依达摩而行、依达摩而言；而贫乏之人难以在这些目标上获得同样的成就，其在世间的立足几近于无。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the practical power of artha (wealth): it enables a person to secure success in worldly and otherworldly aims and to sustain truth and dharmic conduct, while poverty often undermines one’s capacity and social recognition. It is a pragmatic, not purely idealistic, observation about how resources support ethical life and social standing.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and right living, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira. Here he emphasizes the role of wealth in sustaining dharma and effective action, warning that extreme lack of resources can render a person powerless and socially invisible.