Shloka 20
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
कोशक्षये त्वमित्राणां वशं कौसल्य गच्छति । उभयत्र प्रयुक्तस्य धर्मेणाधर्म एव च,कोसलराज! धर्म अथवा अधर्म या उन दोनोंमें ही प्रवृत्त रहनेवाले राजाका कोष निश्चय ही खाली हो जाता है। खजाना खाली होते ही राजा अपने शत्रुओंके वशमें आ जाता है
kośakṣaye tv amitrāṇāṁ vaśaṁ kauśalya gacchati | ubhayatra prayuktasya dharmeṇādharm eva ca |
Bhishma said: “When the treasury is exhausted, O Kaushalya, a king inevitably falls under the control of his enemies. For the ruler who is continually engaged on both sides—now in dharma and now in adharma—his wealth is surely drained; and once the coffers are empty, his independence collapses and he becomes vulnerable to hostile powers.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s strength rests on a well-maintained treasury; reckless conduct—whether justified as dharma or driven by adharma—can drain resources, and once the treasury is depleted the ruler loses autonomy and becomes subject to enemies.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises a Kosala ruler (addressed as Kauśalya) about practical governance: financial depletion leads directly to political vulnerability and enemy domination.