Shloka 68
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
महाराज! आपने सुख और दु:ख दोनों देखे हैं। यह राज्य आपको दैवेच्छासे प्राप्त हुआ है तो भी आप इसे केवल मन्त्रियोंपर छोड़कर क्यों भूल कर रहे हैं? ।।
mahārāja! āpane sukha aura duḥkha donoṃ dekhe haiṃ. yaha rājya āpako daivecchā-se prāpta huā hai, to bhī āpa ise kevala mantriyoṃ-par choṛakara kyoṃ bhūla kara rahe haiṃ? || tato rājaku le nāndī saṃjajñe bhūyasā punaḥ | purohitakule caiva samprāpte brāhmaṇarṣabhe | tad-anantara purohitake kule meṃ utpanna vipravara kālakavṛkṣīya munike punaḥ ā jāne-se rājaparivāra meṃ maṅgalapāṭha evaṃ ānandotsava hone lagā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O großer König! Du hast Glück wie Leid erfahren. Selbst wenn dir dieses Reich durch den Willen des Schicksals zufiel — warum vergisst du deine Pflicht, überlässt es bloß den Ministern und bleibst gleichgültig? Daraufhin erhob sich im Königshaus abermals Freude; und als der Stier unter den Brahmanen — geboren in der Linie des königlichen Priesters — eintraf, begannen im Hause des Königs glückverheißende Rezitationen und Festfreuden zu erblühen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when power or prosperity comes by destiny, a ruler must not abandon personal responsibility. Delegation to ministers is necessary, but the king must remain vigilant and ethically accountable for governance (rājadharma).
Bhishma admonishes the king for neglecting the kingdom by leaving matters solely to ministers. The passage then notes a renewed auspicious atmosphere in the royal household, linked with the arrival/return of an eminent Brahmin from the royal priestly lineage, prompting benedictory recitations and celebrations.