Shloka 11
Book 12, Chapter 93 — Vāmadeva’s Counsel to King Vasumanā on Dharmic Kingship (धर्मप्रधान-राजधर्मोपदेशः)
अथाददान: कल्याणमनसूयुर्जितिन्द्रिय: । वर्धते मतिमान् राजा स्रोतोभिरिव सागर:
athādadānaḥ kalyāṇam anasūyur jitendriyaḥ | vardhate matimān rājā srotobhir iva sāgaraḥ ||
لیکن جو بادشاہ بھلائی کے اوصاف اختیار کرے، عیب جوئی و حسد سے پاک ہو، اپنے حواس پر قابو رکھے اور دانا ہو—وہ اسی طرح بڑھتا اور پھلتا ہے جیسے دریاؤں کے بہاؤ سے سمندر پھیلتا ہے۔
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s true growth comes from adopting welfare-producing virtues: accepting what is good (kalyāṇa), avoiding fault-finding and envy (anasūyā), mastering the senses (jitendriya), and applying wise judgment (matimān). These qualities steadily enlarge a king’s power and well-being.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, the sage Vāmadeva describes the traits that make a king flourish, using a simile: as the ocean increases by the inflow of many river-currents, so a king increases by continually taking in and practicing beneficial qualities.