Shloka 11
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
प्रिये नातिभृशं हृष्येदप्रिये न च संज्वरेत् । न तप्येदर्थकृच्छेषु प्रजाहितमनुस्मरन्
priye nātibhṛśaṁ hṛṣyed apriye na ca saṁjvaret | na tapyed arthakṛcchreṣu prajāhitam anusmaran ||
Vāmadeva dit : quand survient ce qui plaît, ne t’enivre pas de joie; quand survient ce qui déplaît, ne brûle pas d’inquiétude. Même si la gêne financière s’abat, ne t’afflige pas, en gardant à l’esprit le bien du peuple.
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain steadiness: do not become overly elated by favorable events or overly distressed by unfavorable ones; especially for a ruler, remember that personal emotions must not override the duty of safeguarding the people’s welfare.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, the sage Vāmadeva advises the listener (in the broader frame, guidance given to a king) on emotional discipline and the primacy of prajā-hita—public good—even amid economic संकट (arthakṛcchra).