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 ||
একেদৰে, নিজৰ খেতিত অতিপানী জমা হৈ ভয় পাই সেই পানী উলিয়াবলৈ আল/বাঁধ ভাঙিব খোজা মানুহ—যাৰ মাজত এনে লক্ষণ দেখা যায়, তাক শত্রু বুলি গণ্য কৰিব লাগে; কিয়নো ৰাজ্য-সীমাৰ ৰক্ষকেই যদি সীমা ভাঙে, তেন্তে ৰাজ্যলৈ বিপদ আহিব পাৰে।
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.