Shloka 2
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! इस प्रकार जो राजा गुणवान् भृत्योंको अपने-अपने स्थानपर रखते हुए कार्योमें लगाता है, वह राज्यके यथार्थ फलका भागी होता है ।। नश्चा स्वं स्थानमुत्क्रम्प प्रमाणमभिसत्कृत: । आरोप्य: थ्वा स्वकात्स्थानादु्क्रम्यान्यत् प्रमाद्यति,पहले कहे हुए इतिहाससे यह सिद्ध होता है कि कुत्ता अपने स्थानको छोड़कर ऊँचे चढ़ जाय तो न वह विश्वासके योग्य रह जाता है और न कभी उसका सत्कार ही होता है। कुत्तेको उसकी जगहसे उठाकर ऊँचे कदापि न बिठावे; क्योंकि वह दूसरे किसी ऊँचे स्थानपर चढ़कर प्रमाद करने लगता है (इसी प्रकार किसी हीन कुलके मनुष्यको उसकी योग्यता और मर्यादासे ऊँचा स्थान मिल जाय तो वह अहंकारवश उच्छुंखल हो जाता है)
bhīṣma uvāca— yudhiṣṭhira! evaṃ yo rājā guṇavān bhṛtyān sva-sva-sthāneṣu sthāpayitvā kāryeṣu niyojayati, sa rājya-sya yathārtha-phalasya bhāgī bhavati. na ca svaṃ sthānam utkramya pramāṇam abhisatkṛtaḥ; āropyaḥ tvāṃ svakāt sthānād utkramyānyat pramādyati.
Bhishma said: “Yudhishthira, a king who is himself virtuous and who keeps his servants in their proper stations, engaging each in the duties suited to him, truly receives the rightful fruits of sovereignty. For one should not be raised beyond his own place: when someone oversteps his station, he ceases to be reliable and is no longer worthy of honor. The old tale shows this clearly—if a dog is lifted from its place and made to climb higher, it becomes careless and untrustworthy. In the same way, when a person of low standing is given a position above his capacity and social measure, he often becomes arrogant and unruly.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should assign people to roles suited to their capacity and proper measure; elevating someone beyond fitness can lead to negligence, loss of trust, and disorder, thereby undermining the true fruits of kingship.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on administration: he stresses proper placement of retainers and illustrates the point with an old example about a dog becoming unreliable when lifted above its place.