Shloka 61
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
न चैश्वर्यमदस्तेषां भूतपूर्वो महात्मनाम् । सर्वे यथार्हदातार: सर्वे विगतमत्सरा:,उन महामना नरेशोंको पहले कभी भी ऐश्वर्यका मद नहीं हुआ था। वे सब-के-सब यथायोग्य दान करनेवाले और ईर्ष्या-द्वेषसे रहित थे
na caiśvaryamadās teṣāṃ bhūtapūrvo mahātmanām | sarve yathārhadātāraḥ sarve vigatamatsarāḥ ||
Bhishma disse: “Entre aqueles homens de grande alma, jamais surgiu a embriaguez do poder e da prosperidade. Cada um dava dádivas de modo adequado ao destinatário e à ocasião, e todos eram livres de inveja e rancor.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and prosperity should not produce arrogance; the dharmic ruler remains humble, gives appropriately (yathārha), and is free from envy (matsara). Nobility is shown not by wealth itself but by restraint, generosity, and a non-competitive heart.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma describes the qualities of exemplary great-souled kings: they were not intoxicated by sovereignty, they practiced fitting generosity, and they lived without envy—presenting an ethical model for righteous rule.