Shloka 1
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
ऑपनक्रात बछ। अर: - हाथी
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dhārmiko 'rthān asamprāpya rājāmātyaiḥ prabādhitaḥ | cyutaḥ kośāc ca daṇḍāc ca sukham icchan kathaṃ caret ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Grandfather, if a king is righteous yet, despite his efforts, fails to obtain wealth, and if his ministers harass him, and he has been deprived of both treasury and coercive power (army/punishment), how should such a king—still seeking peace and well-being—conduct himself?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic dilemma in kingship: when a ruler loses wealth and coercive power and is undermined by ministers, what ethical course of conduct remains to preserve welfare and stability without abandoning righteousness.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on royal duty, Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma for guidance about a righteous king who has become powerless—bereft of treasury and enforcement—and is pressured by his own ministers.