Shloka 14
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
यस्य क्षेत्रादप्युदकं क्षेत्रमन््यस्य गच्छति । न तत्रानिच्छतस्तस्य भियद्येरन् सर्वसेतव:
yasya kṣetrād apy udakaṃ kṣetram anyasya gacchati | na tatra anicchatas tasya bhidyeyuḥ sarva-setavaḥ ||
যার ক্ষেত থেকে জল বয়ে অন্যের ক্ষেতে যায়, সেখানে—অন্যের উপকার হলেও—মালিকের অনিচ্ছায় তার আল ও সীমানা-বন্ধ ভাঙা বা কাটা উচিত নয়।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when water naturally flows between neighboring fields, one must not violate another person’s consent by breaching their boundary-bunds; dharma protects property and prevents conflict through restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma and social regulation, Bhīṣma lays down a practical rule for rural life: managing irrigation and runoff without forcibly damaging another’s embankments.