Shloka 54
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
असम्भवे श्रियो राजन् हीनस्य सचिवादिशि: | दैवे प्रतिनिविष्टे च कि श्रेयो मन्यते भवान्
asambhave śriyo rājan hīnasya sacivādiṣu | daive pratiniviṣṭe ca ki śreyo manyate bhavān ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, lorsque la prospérité n’est plus possible pour toi—lorsque tu es privé de ministres et de tout appui, et que le destin lui-même se dresse contre toi—quelle voie estimes-tu la plus avantageuse pour toi-même ?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When external supports (wealth, advisers, favorable circumstances) collapse and fate appears adverse, one must deliberately choose the course that truly leads to śreyas—long-term welfare—rather than reacting impulsively; the verse frames ethical decision-making under extreme adversity.
Bhīṣma addresses a king in distress, pointing out that prosperity is unattainable, advisers are gone, and circumstances are hostile; he then asks what path the king considers best, setting up further counsel on how to act when power and resources have failed.