Shloka 61
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
न चैश्वर्यमदस्तेषां भूतपूर्वो महात्मनाम् । सर्वे यथार्हदातार: सर्वे विगतमत्सरा:,उन महामना नरेशोंको पहले कभी भी ऐश्वर्यका मद नहीं हुआ था। वे सब-के-सब यथायोग्य दान करनेवाले और ईर्ष्या-द्वेषसे रहित थे
na caiśvaryamadās teṣāṃ bhūtapūrvo mahātmanām | sarve yathārhadātāraḥ sarve vigatamatsarāḥ ||
Bhishma said: Among those great-souled men, the intoxication of power and prosperity had never arisen. Each of them gave gifts in a manner fitting to the recipient and occasion, and all were free from envy and spite—kings of lofty mind whose rule was grounded in restraint and generosity.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and prosperity should not produce arrogance; the dharmic ruler remains humble, gives appropriately (yathārha), and is free from envy (matsara). Nobility is shown not by wealth itself but by restraint, generosity, and a non-competitive heart.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma describes the qualities of exemplary great-souled kings: they were not intoxicated by sovereignty, they practiced fitting generosity, and they lived without envy—presenting an ethical model for righteous rule.