Shloka 16
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
मूढमैन्द्रियकं लुब्धमनार्यचरितं शठम् । अनतीतोपध॑ हिंस दुर्बुद्धिमबहुशुतम्
mūḍham aindriyakaṁ lubdham anārya-caritaṁ śaṭham | anātītopadhaṁ hiṁsraṁ durbuddhim abahuśrutam ||
Vāmadeva said: If a king appoints to important duties a man who is foolish and ruled by his senses, greedy, of ignoble conduct, deceitful, untested in integrity, violent, of perverted judgment, and poorly learned, that king is deprived of prosperity (Lakṣmī).
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s prosperity depends on ethical appointments: entrusting key responsibilities to greedy, deceitful, violent, and unlearned men destroys royal fortune and stability.
In a rājadharma instruction context, Vāmadeva warns about the consequences of selecting unfit officials—listing disqualifying traits and stating that such choices cause Lakṣmī (prosperity) to depart from the king.