Shloka 19
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
गुणवान् शीलवान् दान्तो मृदुर्धर्म्यो जितेन्द्रिय: । सुदर्श: स्थूललक्ष्यश्न न भ्रश्येत सदा श्रिय:,जो राजा गुणवान, शीलवान्ू, मन और इन्द्रियोंको संयममें रखनेवाला, कोमलस्वभाव, धर्मपरायण, जितेन्द्रिय, देखनेमें प्रसन्नमुख और बहुत देनेवाला उदारचित्त है, वह कभी राजलक्ष्मीसे भ्रष्ट नहीं होता
guṇavān śīlavān dānto mṛdur dharmyo jitendriyaḥ | sudarśaḥ sthūlalakṣyaś ca na bhraśyet sadā śriyaḥ ||
गुणवान् शीलवान् दान्तो मृदुर्धर्म्यो जितेन्द्रियः । सुदर्शः स्थूललक्ष्यश्च न भ्रश्येत सदा श्रियः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal prosperity is sustained not merely by power but by inner discipline and ethical character: virtue, good conduct, gentleness, devotion to dharma, and mastery of the senses are said to prevent a ruler’s decline from Śrī (fortune and sovereignty).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and righteousness, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira about the traits of a stable, successful ruler, asserting that a king with these qualities does not lose his royal fortune.