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 ||
भीष्म बोले—हे राजन्! जब तुम्हारे लिये अब धन-सम्पत्ति की कोई सम्भावना नहीं रही, तुम मन्त्री आदि सहायताओं से भी रहित हो गये हो, और दैव भी प्रतिकूल हो गया है—तो ऐसी दशा में तुम अपने लिये कौन-सा मार्ग श्रेयस्कर मानते हो?
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.