Shloka 9
Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma
Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics
ईदृशस्य कुतो राज्ञ: सुखं भवति भारत । उद्यच्छेदेव न नमेदुद्यमो होव पौरुषम्
īdṛśasya kuto rājñaḥ sukhaṃ bhavati bhārata | udyacchedeva na named udyamo hova pauruṣam ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Bhārata, how could such a king ever find happiness? For true manly effort does not bend; like something held aloft, it does not bow down.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s happiness is inseparable from steadfast, upright effort. Bhīṣma emphasizes that genuine pauruṣa (manly resolve/initiative) does not stoop to weakness, fear, or moral compromise; it remains firm and elevated.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma after the war. Here he comments on the inner condition of a king: without unwavering enterprise and courage, a king cannot attain sukha or stability in rule.