Shloka 20
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
दुर्लभं कि नु देवर्षे आशायाश्वैव कि महत् । ब्रवीतु भगवानेतद् यदि गुह्यां न ते मयि,“देवर्ष! कौन वस्तु दुर्लभ है? और आशासे भी बड़ा क्या है? यदि आपकी दृष्टिमें यह बात मुझसे छिपानेयोग्य न हो तो आप इसे अवश्य बतावें"
durlabhaṁ ki nu devarṣe āśāyāś caiva ki mahat | bravītu bhagavān etad yadi guhyaṁ na te mayi ||
Bhīṣma said: “O divine seer, what indeed is truly hard to obtain? And what is greater than hope? If this matter is not something you must keep hidden from me, then please tell me.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models dharmic inquiry: a wise elder (Bhīṣma) asks a revered seer to define two ethical-philosophical measures—what is truly difficult to attain and what surpasses hope—implying that right understanding of desire, aspiration, and the rarest human attainments is essential for moral life.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction setting, Bhīṣma addresses a divine sage respectfully and requests a direct answer to a reflective question, adding that the sage should speak openly if the teaching is not meant to be kept secret from him.