Shloka 12
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
स सम कौसल्यमागम्य राजामात्यमलंकृतम् | प्राह काकस्य वचनादमुत्रेदं त्वया कृतम्
sa sama kauśalyam āgamya rājāmātyam alaṅkṛtam | prāha kākasya vacanād amutredaṃ tvayā kṛtam |
Bhishma sprach: Als der Weise das Land Kosala erreicht hatte, trat er an den Minister des Königs heran, der in voller Amtswürde saß, und erklärte—unter Berufung auf die Worte einer Krähe: „Diese Tat hast du dort begangen: Du hast an jenem Ort solches königliche Gut gestohlen. Dieser und jener wissen es und sind Zeugen. Unsere Krähe sagt, du habest die königliche Schatzkammer veruntreut; darum gestehe dieses Vergehen unverzüglich ein.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public authority demands moral accountability: when confronted with credible accusation of misusing royal wealth, one should not evade but accept responsibility and confess the offense. The verse frames confession as an ethical duty, especially for those entrusted with the king’s resources.
A sage arrives in Kosala and addresses the king’s minister, formally seated in office. Citing a crow’s report, the sage accuses the minister of stealing from the royal treasury and urges him to admit the crime, indicating that witnesses also know the matter.