Shloka 42
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
प्रवृद्धानां च वृक्षाणां शाखां प्रच्छेदयेत् तथा । चैत्यानां सर्वथा त्याज्यमपि पत्रस्य पातनम्
pravṛddhānāṃ ca vṛkṣāṇāṃ śākhāṃ pracchedayet tathā | caityānāṃ sarvathā tyājyam api patrasya pātanam ||
যে গাছগুলি অতিরিক্ত বেড়ে চারদিকে ছড়িয়ে পড়েছে, প্রয়োজনে তাদের ডাল ছাঁটা যেতে পারে; কিন্তু চৈত্য-সম্পর্কিত (পবিত্র স্থানের সঙ্গে যুক্ত) বৃক্ষ সর্বতোভাবে রক্ষা করতে হবে—একটি পাতাও যেন না ঝরে।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Practical governance must be guided by reverence: ordinary overgrown trees may be pruned for order and safety, but anything tied to a sacred site (caitya) deserves special protection—so much so that even minor harm like dropping a leaf should be avoided.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct in rule and society. Here he gives a concrete rule about managing trees: permit necessary pruning of common trees, while strictly safeguarding shrine-associated trees.