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 dit : «Chez ces hommes à la grande âme, l’ivresse du pouvoir et de la prospérité ne s’était jamais levée. Chacun faisait des dons selon ce qui convenait au destinataire et au moment, et tous étaient exempts d’envie et de malveillance.»
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.