Shloka 1326
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
अथ धर्मस्तथैवार्थ: श्रीक्ष राज्ये प्रतिष्ठिता । पाण्डुनन्दन! धर्मके द्वारा श्रीदेवीसे अर्थकी उत्पत्ति हुई। तदनन्तर धर्म, अर्थ और श्री --तीनों ही राज्यमें प्रतिष्ठित हुए
atha dharmas tathaivārthaḥ śrīkṣa rājye pratiṣṭhitā | pāṇḍunandana! dharmake dvārā śrīdevīse arthakī utpatti huī | tad-anantara dharma, artha aura śrī—tīnoṃ hī rājya meṃ pratiṣṭhita hue |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Kemudian Dharma, demikian pula Artha, dan juga Śrī, tegak kukuh di dalam kerajaan. Wahai putra Pāṇḍu, melalui Dharma, dari Dewi Śrī-lah Artha (kekayaan) lahir; setelah itu Dharma, Artha, dan Śrī—ketiganya—berdiri mantap dan aman di negeri.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity (Artha) and fortune (Śrī) are stable in a kingdom only when grounded in Dharma; ethical order is presented as the causal foundation that generates and sustains wealth and auspiciousness in governance.
Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in Śānti Parva on principles of righteous rule, explaining how Dharma leads to the arising of Artha from Śrī and how all three—Dharma, Artha, and Śrī—become established in a well-ordered kingdom.