Shloka 16
Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
सुदक्षिणो मधुरवागनसूयुर्जितिन्द्रिय: । धर्मात्मा चानृशंसश्न विक्रान्तो5<थाविकत्थन:,वह राजा अत्यन्त उदार, मधुरभाषी, किसीके दोष न देखनेवाला, जितेन्द्रिय, धर्मात्मा, दयालु और पराक्रमी था। वह कभी अपनी प्रशंसा नहीं करता था
sudakṣiṇo madhuravāg anasūyur jitendriyaḥ | dharmātmā cānṛśaṁsaś ca vikrānto ’thāvikatthanaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “That king was exceedingly generous, sweet of speech, free from fault-finding and envy, master of his senses, devoted to dharma, compassionate, and valiant; and he never indulged in self-praise.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethical portrait of the ideal ruler: generosity and pleasant speech tempered by non-censoriousness, self-mastery, commitment to dharma, compassion, courage, and humility (absence of boasting).
Bhishma is describing the character of a king, listing his virtues as a model of righteous conduct and exemplary kingship within the Anushasana Parva’s broader instruction on dharma.