Shloka 5
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
असंशयं निवर्तेत न चेद् वक्ष्यत्यतः परम् । पूर्व परोक्ष॑ं कर्तव्यमेतत् कौन्तेय शाश्वतम्
asaṁśayaṁ nivarteta na ced vakṣyaty ataḥ param | pūrva-parokṣaṁ kartavyam etat kaunteya śāśvatam ||
قال بهيشما: «لا ريب أنه سيعود أدراجه. فإن لم يقل بعد ذلك شيئًا، فعلى الملك أن يخاطبه هكذا: “أيها السيد الجليل، ليتك تتجاوز عن كل ما صدر مني من إساءاتٍ سابقة.” يا ابن كونتي، إن استمالةَ البراهمن بالتواضع وحسن الأدب واجبٌ أبديّ على الملك».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must uphold rajadharma by using humility and conciliatory speech—especially toward brahmins—asking forgiveness for prior faults and seeking to restore goodwill; this is presented as a timeless duty.
Bhishma instructs Kaunteya (Yudhishthira) on how a king should respond when dealing with a brahmin who remains silent or displeased: first expect him to relent, but if he does not speak, the king should explicitly request pardon for earlier offences and thereby pacify him.