Shloka 13
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
तस्मिंस्तु कथयत्येव राजा राजीवलोचन: । उपायाज्जवनैरश्वे: सबल: सावरोधन:,उनके कथा कहते समय ही कमलके समान नेत्रोंवाले एक नरेश वेगशाली घोड़ोंद्वारा अपनी सेना और अन्तःपुरके साथ वहाँ आ पहुँचे
tasmiṁstu kathayaty eva rājā rājīvalocanaḥ | upāyāj javanair aśvaiḥ sabalaḥ sāvarodhanaḥ ||
Bhishma said: While he was still narrating the tale, a lotus-eyed king arrived there—swiftly approaching with fast horses—accompanied by his full army and his inner household (the women’s quarters/royal retinue).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily sets narrative context rather than stating a direct maxim: it highlights how events can swiftly intervene even amid discourse, and it frames royal power as inseparable from responsibility—symbolized by the king arriving not alone but with army and household, implying public and private duties moving together.
As a story is being told, an unnamed king described as 'lotus-eyed' arrives quickly at the scene, drawn by swift horses, bringing along his military force and the inner royal retinue (avarodhana).