Shloka 29
धिक् तस्य जीवित राज्ञो राष्ट्र यस्यावसीदति । द्विजो<न्यो वा मनुष्योडपि शिबिराह वचो यथा,राजा शिबिका कथन है कि “जिसके राज्यमें ब्राह्मण या कोई और मनुष्य क्षुधासे पीड़ित हो रहा हो, उस राजाके जीवनको धिककार है
dhik tasya jīvitaṁ rājño rāṣṭraṁ yasyāvasīdati | dvijo 'nyo vā manuṣyo 'pi kṣudhā-pīḍitaḥ śibikā-vaco yathā ||
Bhishma said: “Shame upon the life of that king whose realm falls into misery—when, in his kingdom, a Brahmin or even any other person is tormented by hunger. Such is the purport of the saying about Śibikā.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s legitimacy and moral worth depend on protecting the basic welfare of all subjects. If anyone—especially the vulnerable, including Brahmins and ordinary people—suffers hunger in his realm, the king’s life and rule are condemned as adharma.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma, including the duties of rulers. Here he delivers a sharp rebuke: a ruler whose kingdom declines into distress, evidenced by people starving, deserves censure, citing a traditional maxim associated with ‘Śibikā’ as an illustrative saying.