Shloka 23
जनक-राज्ञः मौण्ड्य-परिव्रज्या-विवादः
Janaka’s Renunciation Questioned; Discourse on Dāna and Detachment
श्रिया विहीनैरधनैस्त्यक्तमित्रैरकिंचनै: । सौखिकै: सम्भृतानर्थान् यः संत्यजति कि नु तत्
śriyā vihīnair adhanais tyaktamitrair akiñcanaiḥ | saukhikaiḥ sambhṛtān arthān yaḥ saṃtyajati ki nu tat ||
阿周那说道：“一个失却荣华、贫困潦倒、为友所弃、两手空空、只求安逸的人，纵然舍弃其所有，又有何可称奇？然而那位具足王者之福、享乐之资无所不备，却仍舍弃这等稳固的利益——那么，他从此种舍离之中究竟获得何等真实之利？”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Renunciation is ethically weightier when it is chosen despite having prosperity and secure means; giving up what one never truly had (or has already lost) is not the same as relinquishing real power, wealth, and comfort. The verse probes what genuine benefit or higher good is achieved by such voluntary renunciation.
Arjuna questions the value and purpose of renunciation by contrasting two cases: the destitute who ‘renounce’ out of lack, and the prosperous ruler who renounces despite fullness of royal fortune. He asks what special gain accrues to the latter, setting up a discussion on the fruits and meaning of true tyāga (renunciation).