Shloka 41
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
उद्यानेषु विहारेषु प्रपास्वावसथेषु च । पानागारे प्रवेशेषु तीर्थेषु च सभासु च
udyāneṣu vihāreṣu prapāsv āvasatheṣu ca | pānāgāre praveśeṣu tīrtheṣu ca sabhāsu ca ||
قال بهيشما: «لْيَتَحَرَّكِ العيونُ السِّرِّيّون في البساتين ومواضع النُّزهة، وعند محطّات الماء العامّة ودور الاستراحة، وفي حانات الشراب، وعند مداخل المدينة، وعند المخاضات المقدّسة (تيرثا)، وفي قاعات المجالس.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should maintain informed oversight of society through discreet intelligence in common public spaces—places where news, grievances, and conspiracies naturally surface—so governance can protect dharma and public safety without overt coercion.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the ruler on practical administration. Here he lists the kinds of public locations where secret agents should circulate to observe, listen, and report.