Shloka 17
Śrī-nivāsa: Traits and Conditions for the Abode of Prosperity (श्री-निवासः)
मत्ते गजे गोवृषभे नरेन्द्र सिंहासने सत्पुरुषेषु नित्यम्
bhīṣma uvāca | matte gaje govṛṣabhe narendra-siṃhāsane satpuruṣeṣu nityam | yatra gṛhe agnau āhutīḥ kriyante, gāvo brāhmaṇāś ca devāś ca pūjyante, kāle kāle ca yatra puṣpair devatābhyo upahārāḥ samarpitāḥ, tasmin gṛhe ahaṃ nityaṃ vasāmi |
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ako’y palagiang nananahan kung saan may maringal na elepante, may natatanging toro sa kawan, may haring nakaupo sa trono, at may mga taong matuwid na naninirahan. Naninirahan din ako magpakailanman sa tahanang maayos na naghahandog ng oblation sa banal na apoy, gumagalang sa baka, sa mga Brahmin, at sumasamba sa mga diyos, at sa takdang panahon ay nag-aalay ng mga bulaklak bilang handog sa mga diyos.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that auspiciousness and moral stability abide where strength is disciplined by dharma: noble leadership (king on the throne), righteous power (bull/elephant as symbols), and the presence of virtuous people, supported by regular Vedic rites and reverence for cows, Brahmins, and the gods.
In Bhishma’s instruction on conduct (anuśāsana), he describes the marks of a blessed and dharmic dwelling—one sustained by ritual offerings, proper worship, and the company of the virtuous—indicating where divine favor and prosperity are said to reside.