Shloka 19
राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः
Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration
ईहाद्वाराणि संरुध्य राजा सम्प्रीतदर्शन: । प्रद्धिषन्ति परिख्यातं राजानमतिखादिनम्
bhīṣma uvāca | īhādvārāṇi saṃrudhya rājā samprītadarśanaḥ | praddhiṣanti parikhyātaṃ rājānam atikhādinam |
Bhishma sprach: „Der König verschließe die Tore der Gier und des Eigennutzes und werde zu einem Herrscher, dessen bloßer Anblick dem Volk angenehm ist. Denn wenn ein Regierender als maßloser Verschlinger berüchtigt wird—einer, der den Reichtum und den Lebensunterhalt seiner Untertanen übermäßig auspresst und verzehrt—wendet sich das ganze Volk in Hass gegen ihn.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must restrain greed and avoid excessive extraction from the people; rulership should be welfare-oriented so that the ruler remains प्रियदर्शन (pleasing and trusted), not notorious as an exploiter.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises the ruler to close the ‘doors’ of selfish desire and warns that if a king becomes famous for over-consuming the people’s resources, public resentment and hatred inevitably arise.