Shloka 78
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
परिक्षीणाश्न लुब्धाश्न क्रुद्धा भीता: प्रतारिता: । हृतस्वा मानिनो ये च त्यक्तादाना महेप्सव:,“जो अपने पदसे गिरा दिये जानेके कारण असंतुष्ट हों, अपमानित किये गये हों, जो स्वयं राजासे पुरस्कृत होकर दूसरोंके द्वारा कलंक लगाये जानेके कारण उस आदरसे वंचित कर दिये गये हों, जो क्षीण, लोभी, क्रोधी, भयभीत और धोखेमें डाले गये हों, जिनका सर्वस्व छीन लिया गया हो, जो मानी हों, जिनकी आय छिन गयी हो, जो महत्त्वपूर्ण पद पाना चाहते हों, जिन्हें सताया गया हो, जो किसी राजापर आनेवाले संकटसमूहकी प्रतीक्षा कर रहे हों, छिपे रहते हों और मनमें कपटभाव रखते हों, वे सभी सेवक शत्रुओंका काम बनानेवाले होते हैं
parikṣīṇāś ca lubdhāś ca kruddhā bhītāḥ pratāritāḥ | hṛtasvā mānino ye ca tyaktadānā mahepsavaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Those servants who are worn down, greedy, angry, fearful, and deceived; those whose entire means have been taken away; those who are proud; those who have been deprived of their due rewards; and those who crave high office—such men, when retained in service, tend to become instruments of the enemy. A ruler must discern resentment and unmet ambition in dependents, for these become seeds of betrayal and political ruin.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should be vigilant about retainers whose inner state is marked by deprivation, humiliation, fear, anger, greed, deception, or frustrated ambition; such conditions often turn a dependent into a conduit for hostile forces. Sound governance requires not only rewarding merit but also preventing the buildup of resentment that leads to betrayal.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on raja-dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira about political dangers within one’s own establishment. This verse lists categories of discontented or destabilized servants and warns that they commonly end up serving an enemy’s interests.