Shloka 15
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
यत् तु निश्रेयसं सम्यक् तच्चैवासंशयात्मकम्
yat tu niśreyasaṃ samyak tac caivāsaṃśayātmakam | suhṛdām anugrahaḥ śatrubhāva-dhāriṇāṃ duṣṭānāṃ daṇḍanaṃ tathā dharmārtha-kāma-saṃgrahaś ca—idaṃ manīṣiṇaḥ śreya ity āhuḥ ||
那罗陀说道：“凡真正导向至上之善（niśreyasa）者，若如理而知，其本性即离于疑。施恩扶持善友，惩治怀怨之恶徒，并成就三种人生目标——法（dharma）、利（artha）与正当之欲（kāma）——此即智者所谓‘善’（śreyas）。”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
True welfare (niśreyasa/śreyas) is not uncertain or speculative; it is recognized by clear ethical duties: support the well-disposed, restrain and punish the malicious who act from enmity, and responsibly secure dharma, artha, and kāma in a balanced way.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance and conduct, Nārada states criteria for what counts as genuine ‘good’: benevolence toward allies and well-wishers, firm punishment of hostile wrongdoers, and the orderly pursuit of the three human aims (dharma, artha, kāma).