Shloka 47
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
आशीविषै: परिवृतः कूपस्त्वमसि पार्थिव । दुर्गतीर्था बृहत्कूला कारीरा वेत्रसंयुता
āśīviṣaiḥ parivṛtaḥ kūpas tvam asi pārthiva | durgatīrthā bṛhatkūlā kārīrā vetra-saṁyutā ||
Bhishma sprach: „O König, du bist wie ein Brunnen, von giftigen Schlangen umringt—schwer zu nahen, mit tückischen Schritten, breiten Ufern und überwuchert von dornigem Schilf und Rohr. Wer sich dir nähert, um Nutzen zu suchen, findet eher Gefahr als Zuflucht.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (or any powerful person) should be approachable and safe for those seeking help; when one is surrounded by ‘poison’—anger, greed, cruelty, or corrupt associates—people who come near are harmed. Ethical authority requires inner restraint and a protective, not predatory, presence.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma and proper conduct. Here he uses a sharp metaphor: the king is compared to a well that ought to provide relief, yet is rendered dangerous by serpents and obstructing growth—signaling that the king’s current disposition or environment makes seeking his aid perilous.