रागाभिभूतः पुरुषः कामेन परिकृष्यते ॥
इच्छा संजायते तस्य ततस् तृष्णा प्रवर्तते ॥
तृष्णा हि सर्वपापिष्ठा नित्योद्वेगकरी नृणाम् ॥
अधर्मबहुला चैव घोरा पापानुबन्धिनी ॥
या दुस्त्यजा दुर्मतिभिर् या न जीर्यति जीर्यतः ॥
यो ऽसौ प्राणान्तिको रोगस् तां तृष्णां त्यजतः सुखम् ॥
अनाद्यन्ता तु सा तृष्णा अन्तर्देहगता नृणाम् ॥
विनाशयति संभूता अयोनिज इवानलः ॥
यथैधः स्वसमुत्थेन वह्निना नाशम् ऋच्छति ॥
तथाकृतात्मा लोभेन सहजेन विनश्यति ॥
राजतः सलिलाद् अग्नेश् चोरतः स्वजनाद् अपि ॥
भयम् अर्थवतां नित्यं मृत्योः प्राणभृताम् इव ॥
यथा ह्य् आमिषम् आकाशे पक्षिभिः श्वापदैर् भुवि ॥
भक्ष्यते सलिले मत्स्यैस् तथा सर्वेण वित्तवान् ॥
अर्थ एव हि केषां चिद् अनर्थो भविता नृणाम् ॥
अर्थश्रेयसि चासक्तो न श्रेयो विन्दते नरः ॥
तस्माद् अर्थागमाः सर्वे मनोमोहविवर्धनाः ॥
कार्पण्यं दर्पमानौ च भयम् उद्वेग एव च ॥
अर्थजानि विदुः प्राज्ञा दुःखान्य् एतानि देहिनाम् ॥
अर्थस्योपार्जने दुःखं पालने च क्षये तथा ॥
नाशे दुःखं व्यये दुःखं घ्नन्ति चैवार्थकारणात् ॥
अर्था दुःखं परित्यक्तुं पालिताश् चापि ते ऽसुखाः ॥
दुःखेन चाधिगम्यन्ते तेषां नाशं न चिन्तयेत् ॥
असंतोषपरा मूढाः संतोषं यान्ति पण्डिताः ॥
अन्तो नास्ति पिपासायाः संतोषः परमं सुखम् ॥
तस्मात् संतोषम् एवेह धनं पश्यन्ति पण्डिताः ॥
अनित्यं यौवनं रूपं जीवितं द्रव्यसंचयः ॥
ऐश्वर्यं प्रियसंवासो गृध्येद् एषु न पण्डितः ॥
त्यजेत संचयांस् तस्मात् तज्जं क्लेशं सहेत कः ॥
न हि संचयवान् कश् चिद् दृश्यते निरुपद्रवः ॥
अतश् च धर्मिभिः पुम्भिर् अनीहार्थः प्रशस्यते ॥
प्रक्षालनाद् धि पङ्कस्य दूराद् अस्पर्शनं वरम् ॥
युधिष्ठिरैवम् अर्थेषु न स्पृहां कर्तुम् अर्हसि ॥
धर्मेण यदि ते कार्यं विमुक्तेच्छो भवार्थतः ॥
rāgābhibhūtaḥ puruṣaḥ kāmena parikṛṣyate ||
icchā saṃjāyate tasya tatas tṛṣṇā pravartate ||
tṛṣṇā hi sarvapāpiṣṭhā nityodvegakarī nṛṇām ||
adharmabahulā caiva ghorā pāpānubandhinī ||
yā dustyajā durmatibhir yā na jīryati jīryataḥ ||
yo 'sau prāṇāntiko rogas tāṃ tṛṣṇāṃ tyajataḥ sukham ||
anādyantā tu sā tṛṣṇā antardehagatā nṛṇām ||
vināśayati saṃbhūtā ayonija ivānalaḥ ||
yathaidhaḥ svasamutthena vahninā nāśam ṛcchati ||
tathākṛtātmā lobhena sahajena vinaśyati ||
rājataḥ salilād agneś corataḥ svajanād api ||
bhayam arthavatāṃ nityaṃ mṛtyoḥ prāṇabhṛtām iva ||
yathā hy āmiṣam ākāśe pakṣibhiḥ śvāpadair bhuvi ||
bhakṣyate salile matsyais tathā sarveṇa vittavān ||
artha eva hi keṣāṃ cid anartho bhavitā nṛṇām ||
arthaśreyasi cāsakto na śreyo vindate naraḥ ||
tasmād arthāgamāḥ sarve manomohavivardhanāḥ ||
kārpaṇyaṃ darpamānau ca bhayam udvega eva ca ||
arthajāni viduḥ prājñā duḥkhāny etāni dehinām ||
arthasyopārjane duḥkhaṃ pālane ca kṣaye tathā ||
nāśe duḥkhaṃ vyaye duḥkhaṃ ghnanti caivārthakāraṇāt ||
arthā duḥkhaṃ parityaktuṃ pālitāś cāpi te 'sukhāḥ ||
duḥkhena cādhigamyante teṣāṃ nāśaṃ na cintayet ||
asaṃtoṣaparā mūḍhāḥ saṃtoṣaṃ yānti paṇḍitāḥ ||
anto nāsti pipāsāyāḥ saṃtoṣaḥ paramaṃ sukham ||
tasmāt saṃtoṣam eveha dhanaṃ paśyanti paṇḍitāḥ ||
anityaṃ yauvanaṃ rūpaṃ jīvitaṃ dravyasaṃcayaḥ ||
aiśvaryaṃ priyasaṃvāso gṛdhyed eṣu na paṇḍitaḥ ||
tyajeta saṃcayāṃs tasmāt tajjaṃ kleśaṃ saheta kaḥ ||
na hi saṃcayavān kaś cid dṛśyate nirupadravaḥ ||
ataś ca dharmibhiḥ pumbhir anīhārthaḥ praśasyate ||
prakṣālanād dhi paṅkasya dūrād asparśanaṃ varam ||
yudhiṣṭhiraivam artheṣu na spṛhāṃ kartum arhasi ||
dharmeṇa yadi te kāryaṃ vimukteccho bhavārthataḥ ||
‘When a man is overcome by passion, desire draws him toward its objects; from desire is born the will to possess, and then thirst begins to act. Thirst is utterly sinful: it constantly disturbs men, is full of unrighteousness, and drags evil along with it. It is hard for evil minds to abandon, and it does not age even as one grows old; whoever abandons this fatal disease is happy. Without beginning or end, hidden within people, thirst, once arisen, destroys them, like a fire not born from a womb. As wood perishes from a fire born within itself, so an unrefined man perishes from innate greed. The wealthy man is always afraid — of king, water, fire, thief, and kin — as a living being fears death. As meat is devoured by birds in the sky, by beasts on earth, and by fish in water, so the possessor of wealth is devoured by all. For some, wealth becomes a misfortune; one attached to the good of wealth does not find the highest good. Therefore all acquisitions increase the delusion of the mind. Miserliness, pride, arrogance, fear, and anxiety — the wise regard these sufferings as born of wealth. In acquiring wealth there is pain, in guarding it pain, in its loss pain, in its expenditure pain; for the sake of wealth men even kill. Wealth is hard to give up, yet even guarded it brings no peace; it is gained with difficulty, and one should not dwell too much on its loss. Fools are devoted to discontent, the wise arrive at contentment: there is no end to thirst, but contentment is the highest happiness. Therefore the wise see contentment itself as wealth. Youth, beauty, life, the accumulation of possessions, power, and closeness with loved ones — all are impermanent; the wise should not greedily cling to these. Therefore one should give up accumulation: who could bear the suffering born from it? No hoarder is ever seen free from misfortune. Therefore people of dharma praise freedom from the pursuit of wealth; it is better not to touch mud from a distance than to wash it off afterward. Thus, Yudhishthira, you should not crave possessions, if your task is dharma and you wish for release from worldly attachment.’
7bbf3ba3f952 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:33:27 PM UTC
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This teaching sounds especially pointed before an exiled king: wealth has just been taken away, but the danger of thirst remains. Shaunaka does not romanticize poverty; he shows that possession itself does not save. What saves is contentment, a disciplined mind, and a dharma not bought with things.