Shloka 14
यथा सुमधुरौ दम्यौ सुदान्तौ साधुवाहिनौ | धुरमुद्यम्य वहतास्तथा वर्तेत वै नृप:,जैसे मनोहर आकृतिवाले, सुशिक्षित तथा अच्छी तरहसे बोझ ढोनेमें समर्थ नयी अवस्थाके दो बैल कंधोंपर भार उठाकर उसे सुन्दर ढंगसे ढोते हैं, उसी प्रकार राजाको भी अपने राज्यका भार अच्छी तरह सँभालना चाहिये
yathā sumadhurau damyau sudāntau sādhuvāhinau | dhuram udyamya vahatas tathā varteta vai nṛpaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Just as two young oxen—pleasing in form, well-trained, thoroughly disciplined, and capable of bearing the yoke—lift the load upon their shoulders and carry it steadily and well, so too should a king conduct himself: he must competently uphold and manage the burden of his kingdom.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must be trained, self-controlled, and capable—like well-broken oxen—so that he can steadily carry the heavy responsibility of protecting and administering the kingdom.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kings). Here he uses a practical agrarian metaphor—two disciplined oxen bearing a yoke—to illustrate how a king should manage the weight of statecraft.