Shloka 15
Dharma and Wealth — Chanakya Niti
धर्मे तत्परता मुखे मधुरता दाने समुत्साहता
मित्रेऽवञ्चकता गुरौ विनयता चित्तेऽतिमभीरता ।
आचारे शुचिता गुणे रसिकता शास्त्रेषु विज्ञानता
रूपे सुन्दरता शिवे भजनता त्वय्यस्ति भो राघव ॥
dharme tatparatā mukhe madhuratā dāne samutsāhatā
mitre’vañcakatā gurau vinayatā citte’timabhīratā |
ācāre śucitā guṇe rasikatā śāstreṣu vijñānatā
rūpe sundaratā śive bhajanatā tvayy asti bho rāghava ||
Devoted to dharma, sweet in speech, eager in giving; honest with friends, humble before teachers, and deeply serious in mind; pure in conduct, refined in relish for virtue, learned in the śāstras; fair in form and devoted in worship of Śiva—O Rāghava, these qualities are found in you.
FAQs
Within the broader Nīti-śāstra milieu, such verses function as compact character portraits that enumerate socially valued traits (ethical, interpersonal, intellectual, and devotional). In historical terms, this reflects a didactic literary practice common in Sanskrit gnomic collections, where idealized virtues are listed to frame models of elite comportment and learning.
Good character is presented as a composite of domains: moral orientation (tatparatā in dharma), verbal etiquette (madhuratā in speech), social reciprocity (honesty with friends; humility toward teachers), interior disposition (gravity of mind), ritual-social cleanliness (śucitā of conduct), intellectual cultivation (vijñānatā in śāstras), and devotional alignment (bhajanatā toward Śiva).
The verse is structured as a rhythmic catalogue using repeated locatives (dharme, mukhe, dāne, mitre, gurau, citte, ācāre, guṇe, śāstreṣu, rūpe, śive) paired with abstract nouns in -tā (tatparatā, madhuratā, etc.), a common Sanskrit rhetorical device for concise enumeration. The closing address “tvayy asti… bho rāghava” frames the list as praise (stuti) directed to a named figure, blending ethical enumeration with encomiastic style.