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 महत्त्वाच्या कार्यांवर मूर्ख, इंद्रियलोलुप, लोभी, अनार्य आचरणाचा, शठ, अपरीक्षित, हिंसक, दुर्बुद्धी व अल्पश्रुत पुरुषास नियुक्त करतो, तो लक्ष्मीपासून हीन होतो।
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.