Shloka 19
Śāṃtanu’s Ideal Rule; Devavrata’s Return; The Satyavatī Marriage Condition and Bhīṣma’s Vow (आदि पर्व, अध्याय ९४)
दानं तपः सत्यमथापि धर्मो ह्वी: श्री: क्षमा सौम्यमथो विधित्सा । राजन्नेतान्यप्रमेयाणि राज्ञ: शिबे: स्थितान्यप्रतिमस्य बुद्धा,नरेश्वर! दान, तपस्या, सत्य, धर्म, ही, श्री, क्षमा, सौम्यभाव और व्रत-पालनकी अभिलाषा--राजा शिबिमें ये सभी गुण अनुपम हैं तथा बुद्धिमें भी उनकी समता करनेवाला कोई नहीं है
aṣṭaka uvāca | dānaṁ tapaḥ satyam athāpi dharmo hrīḥ śrīḥ kṣamā saumy amatho vidhitsā | rājann etāny aprameyāṇi rājñaḥ śibeḥ sthitāny apratimasya buddhā nara-īśvara ||
Aṣṭaka thưa: “Tâu Đại vương, nơi vua Śibi—bậc vô song—hội tụ những đức hạnh vô lượng: bố thí, khổ hạnh, chân thật, chính đạo, khiêm nhu, vinh quang, khoan thứ, hiền hòa, và ý chí giữ trọn lời nguyện cùng nề nếp đúng đắn. Không ai sánh kịp ngài về trí tuệ, hỡi chúa tể loài người.”
अष्टक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a model of righteous kingship: a ruler’s greatness is measured not by power but by cultivated virtues—generosity, disciplined self-control, truth, dharma, modest restraint, prosperity used rightly, forgiveness, gentleness, and commitment to prescribed ethical conduct—crowned by superior wisdom.
Aṣṭaka addresses a king and praises King Śibi, listing the extraordinary virtues firmly established in him and declaring him incomparable in wisdom, thereby holding Śibi up as an ethical exemplar within the Adi Parva’s discourse.