Shloka 20
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
यद्यप्यस्य महीं दद्याद् रत्नपूर्णामिमां नर: । इदमेव ततः श्रेय इति मन्येत तत्त्ववित्
vyāsa uvāca |
yady apy asya mahīṁ dadyād ratnapūrṇām imāṁ naraḥ |
idam eva tataḥ śreya iti manyeta tattvavit |
tatra yat prītisaṁyuktaṁ kiñcid ātmani lakṣayet |
praśāntam iva saṁśuddhaṁ sattvaṁ tad upadhārayet |
毗耶娑说：纵使有人施舍这满载珠宝的整个大地，知真者仍会断定：唯此为更高之善——即知识。并且在此事上，当人于自身觉察到一种与爱意相连的喜悦——清净而仿佛安宁——便当知萨埵（sattva）之德已生起并在运作。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
True welfare (śreyas) is knowledge, not even the greatest material gift. A practical sign of sattva is an inner state of purified, quiet gladness; recognizing this helps one discern the mind’s movement toward clarity and virtue.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and right living, Vyāsa delivers a didactic comparison—jewel-filled earth versus knowledge—and then gives a diagnostic criterion for inner cultivation: noticing serene, purified joy as the mark of sattva arising.