Shloka 88
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
इह लोके हि धनिनां स्वजन: स्वजनायते । स्वजनस्तु दरिद्राणां जीवतामपि नश्यति,इस संसारमें जो धनवान हैं, उन्हींके स््वजन उनके साथ स्वजनोचित बर्ताव करते हैं; दरिद्रोंके स््वजन तो उनके जीते-जी ही उन्हें छोड़कर उनकी आँखसे ओझल हो जाते हैं
iha loke hi dhanināṁ svajanaḥ svajanāyate | svajanas tu daridrāṇāṁ jīvatām api naśyati ||
毗耶娑说：在此世间，唯有富者，连所谓“自家人”也才真会以自家人相待；而贫者呢，他们的亲族却从他们身边消散——从眼前隐没——甚至在他们尚活着的时候便已如此。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly affection often follows wealth: people treat the rich as truly ‘their own,’ while the poor may be abandoned even by relatives. The implied counsel is to recognize this instability, cultivate dharmic loyalty and compassion, and avoid measuring relationships by material gain.
Vyāsa delivers a reflective observation typical of Śānti Parva’s moral instruction: he contrasts how society responds to the wealthy versus the poor, using this contrast to highlight the unreliability of attachment based on prosperity.