Shloka 17
दुर्योधनस्य लज्जा-प्रायोपवेशविचारः
Duryodhana’s Shame and Consideration of Prāyopaveśa
यां श्रियं सुहृदश्चैव दुर्हदश्च विशाम्पते । पश्यन्ति पुरुषे दीप्तां सा समर्था भवत्युत,'प्रजापालक नरेश! पुरुषमें प्रकाशित होनेवाली जिस लक्ष्मीको उसके सुहृद् और शत्रु दोनों देखते हैं, वही सबल होती है
yāṃ śriyaṃ suhṛdaś caiva durhṛdaś ca viśāmpate | paśyanti puruṣe dīptāṃ sā samarthā bhavaty uta ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai pelindung rakyat, raja! Kemakmuran yang tampak berkilau pada diri seseorang—yang disaksikan sama oleh sahabat maupun musuhnya—itulah satu-satunya keberuntungan yang sungguh berdaya dan berwibawa.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True prosperity or excellence is that which is visibly established—so evident that both friends and enemies recognize it. Such acknowledged splendor has real efficacy in life and governance, unlike merely claimed or private ‘fortune’.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a ruler (‘viśāmpati’), offering a reflective maxim on śrī (prosperity/royal splendor): the kind that shines in a person and is acknowledged even by adversaries is the one that is genuinely powerful.