Shloka 21
Bhīmasena’s Admonition to Yudhiṣṭhira on Rājya and the Ordering of Dharma–Artha–Kāma
Book 3, Chapter 34
श्रियं च लोके लभते समग्रां मन्ये चास्मै शत्रव: संनमन्ते | मित्राणि चैनमचिराद् भजन्ते देवा इवेन्द्रमुपजीवन्ति चैनम्,वह वीर पुरुष लोकमें सम्पूर्ण लक्ष्मीको प्राप्त कर लेता है। मैं यह भी मानता हूँ कि सभी शत्रु उसके सामने नतमस्तक हो जाते हैं। फिर थोड़े ही दिनोंमें उसके बहुत-से मित्र बन जाते हैं और जैसे देवता इन्द्रके सहारे जीवन धारण करते हैं, उसी प्रकार वे मित्रगण उस वीरकी छत्रछायामें रहकर जीवन-निर्वाह करते हैं
śriyaṃ ca loke labhate samagrāṃ manye cāsmai śatravaḥ saṃnamante | mitrāṇi cainam acirād bhajante devā ivendram upajīvanti cainam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Such a heroic man attains complete prosperity in this world. I believe even his enemies bow down before him. Before long, many become his friends; and just as the gods sustain their lives by relying on Indra, so do those friends live and thrive under that hero’s protection and patronage.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethical-political ideal of leadership: true heroism and worthiness generate prosperity, compel even opponents to acknowledge authority, and naturally attract allies who flourish under the leader’s protection—like the gods sustained by Indra.
Yudhiṣṭhira is describing the social effects of a powerful and capable ‘vīra’: he gains full fortune, enemies submit, friends gather quickly, and those allies come to rely on him for security and sustenance, expressed through the simile of the devas depending on Indra.