Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 1313
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
श्री: सम्भूता यतो देवी पत्नी धर्मस्य धीमत: । उस समय भगवान् विष्णुके ललाटसे एक सुवर्णमय कमल प्रकट हुआ, जिससे बुद्धिमान् धर्मकी पत्नी श्रीदेवीका प्रादुर्भाव हुआ
śrīḥ sambhūtā yato devī patnī dharmasya dhīmataḥ |
Wika ni Bhīṣma: Mula sa gintong lotus na lumitaw sa noo ni Panginoong Viṣṇu, isinilang ang diyosang Śrī—na kilala bilang kabiyak ng marunong na diyos na si Dharma. Ipinahihiwatig ng talatang ito na ang kasaganaan at pagpapala (Śrī) ay hindi basta suwerteng dumarating, kundi umuusbong mula sa banal na pinagmumulang nakaayon sa dharma, at nagiging matatag lamang kapag nakaugnay sa katuwiran.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śrī (prosperity and auspiciousness) is portrayed as arising from a divine source and being properly established when aligned with Dharma; true fortune is ethically grounded rather than merely material.
Bhīṣma describes a cosmogonic detail: a golden lotus manifests on Viṣṇu’s forehead, and from it the goddess Śrī appears, identified as the consort of the wise Dharma.