Shloka 15
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
तथैवात्युदकाद् भीतस्तस्य भेदनमिच्छति । यमेवंलक्षणं विद्यात् तममित्र विनिर्दिशेत्
tathaivātyudakād bhītastasya bhedanam icchati | yam evaṃlakṣaṇaṃ vidyāt tam amitraṃ vinirdiśet ||
قال بهيشما: «وكذلك الرجل الذي يفزع لأن الماء قد اجتمع في حقله جمعًا مفرطًا فيريد أن يكسر السدّ ليُخرجه؛ فاعرفه بهذه العلامات وسمِّه عدوًّا. فإن حارس حدود المملكة إذا هو نفسه نقض الحدّ، أمكن أن يحلّ الخطر بالبلاد؛ لذلك ينبغي أن يُعدّ هو أيضًا عدوًّا.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person entrusted with protecting boundaries or safeguards becomes especially dangerous if he himself breaches them; betrayal by a guardian is a clear sign of enmity and must be treated as a security threat.
Bhishma uses a practical agrarian analogy: when a field floods, a frightened farmer may want to break the embankment to release water. He applies this to governance—if a kingdom’s boundary-keeper breaks the boundary, it invites peril, so such a person should be identified as an enemy.