Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 1326
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
अथ धर्मस्तथैवार्थ: श्रीक्ष राज्ये प्रतिष्ठिता । पाण्डुनन्दन! धर्मके द्वारा श्रीदेवीसे अर्थकी उत्पत्ति हुई। तदनन्तर धर्म, अर्थ और श्री --तीनों ही राज्यमें प्रतिष्ठित हुए
atha dharmas tathaivārthaḥ śrīkṣa rājye pratiṣṭhitā | pāṇḍunandana! dharmake dvārā śrīdevīse arthakī utpatti huī | tad-anantara dharma, artha aura śrī—tīnoṃ hī rājya meṃ pratiṣṭhita hue |
毗湿摩说道：“于是，达摩、阿尔塔以及室利（Śrī）都在国中牢固安立。噢，般度之喜子！凭借达摩，由室利女神而生起阿尔塔——财富；其后，达摩、阿尔塔与室利——三者——皆在王国之内安稳确立。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity (Artha) and fortune (Śrī) are stable in a kingdom only when grounded in Dharma; ethical order is presented as the causal foundation that generates and sustains wealth and auspiciousness in governance.
Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in Śānti Parva on principles of righteous rule, explaining how Dharma leads to the arising of Artha from Śrī and how all three—Dharma, Artha, and Śrī—become established in a well-ordered kingdom.