Chapter 2: Sudarśana Upākhyāna — Atithi-Dharma and the Conquest of Mṛtyu
Gṛhastha-Vrata
नगरं विषयश्चास्य प्रतिपूर्णस्तदा भवत् | उनका नगर और राज्य रत्न, धन, पशु तथा भाँति-भाँतिके धान्योंसे उन दिनों भरा-पूरा रहता था ।। न तस्य विषये चाभूत् कृपणो नापि दुर्गतः
nagaraṃ viṣayaś cāsya pratipūrṇas tadā bhavat | na tasya viṣaye cābhūt kṛpaṇo nāpi durgataḥ ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അന്നാളുകളിൽ അവന്റെ നഗരംയും സമഗ്രരാജ്യവും സമൃദ്ധിയാൽ നിറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു. അവന്റെ രാജ്യത്തിൽ കൃപണനാരുമില്ല; ദുരവസ്ഥയിലോ ദാരിദ്ര്യത്തിലോ വീണവനും ഇല്ലായിരുന്നു.
भीष्म उवाच
A ruler’s dharma is reflected in the well-being of the people: true prosperity means the realm is abundant and no one is left in misery or degrading poverty; governance should prevent both destitution and moral meanness.
Bhishma is describing the condition of a particular king’s city and territory in an exemplary period, emphasizing that the kingdom was flourishing and that within it there were neither wretchedly poor nor socially fallen persons.