Shloka 21
राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः
Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration
भृतो वत्सो जातबल: पीडां सहति भारत | न कर्म कुरुते वत्सो भृशं दुग्धो युधिष्ठिर
bhṛto vatsaḥ jātavalaḥ pīḍāṃ sahati bhārata | na karma kurute vatsaḥ bhṛśaṃ dugdho yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhishma sprach: „O Bharata (Yudhishthira), ein Kalb, das richtig genährt wird, wächst kräftig heran und kann Mühsal und schwere Lasten ertragen. Doch ein Kalb, dessen Mutter übermäßig gemolken wurde, wird schwach und vermag solche Arbeit nicht zu leisten. So untergräbt übermäßiges Abschöpfen zum unmittelbaren Gewinn die künftige Stärke und Leistungsfähigkeit.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that strength and capability arise from proper nourishment and restraint: if one drains resources excessively for immediate benefit, the dependent becomes weak and future productivity and resilience are lost. Ethical rule requires measured use and long-term care.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and statecraft. Here he uses a pastoral analogy—calf and cow—to illustrate how over-milking (over-exploitation) weakens what should be nurtured, implying guidance for a king’s treatment of subjects and resources.