Shloka 16
Vāmadeva’s Rājadharma: Norm-Setting, Counsel, and the Prevention of Rāṣṭra-Vināśa (वामदेव-प्रोक्तं राजधर्मम्)
मूढमैन्द्रियकं लुब्धमनार्यचरितं शठम् । अनतीतोपध॑ हिंस दुर्बुद्धिमबहुशुतम्
mūḍham aindriyakaṁ lubdham anārya-caritaṁ śaṭham | anātītopadhaṁ hiṁsraṁ durbuddhim abahuśrutam ||
जो राजा महत्त्वपूर्ण कार्यों में मूर्ख, इन्द्रियलोलुप, लोभी, अनार्य आचरणवाले, शठ, अपरीक्षित, हिंसक, दुर्बुद्धि और अल्पश्रुत (अल्पज्ञ) पुरुष को नियुक्त करता है, वह लक्ष्मी से हीन हो जाता है।
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s prosperity depends on ethical appointments: entrusting key responsibilities to greedy, deceitful, violent, and unlearned men destroys royal fortune and stability.
In a rājadharma instruction context, Vāmadeva warns about the consequences of selecting unfit officials—listing disqualifying traits and stating that such choices cause Lakṣmī (prosperity) to depart from the king.