Shloka 5
आपद्धर्मे राज्ञः नीतिः — Bharadvāja’s Counsel on Crisis-Statecraft (Śānti Parva 138)
कदाचित् तं जलस्थायं मत्स्यबन्धा: समन्ततः । निस्रावयामासुरथो निम्नेषु विविधैर्मुखै:,एक दिन कुछ मछलीमारोंने उस जलाशयमें चारों ओरसे नालियाँ बनाकर अनेक द्वारोंसे उसका पानी आसपासकी नीची भूमिमें निकालना आरम्भ कर दिया
kadācit taṃ jalasthāyaṃ matsyabandhāḥ samantataḥ | nisrāvayāmāsur atho nimneṣu vividhair mukhaiḥ ||
Bhishma said: Once, the fishermen, surrounding that reservoir on all sides, cut channels and began to drain its water out through many openings into the lower-lying ground nearby—setting in motion a deliberate act of emptying what had been a sustaining habitat.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical illustration: intentional actions that disrupt a life-sustaining environment (here, draining a reservoir) have consequences for dependent beings. In Shanti Parva’s moral discourse, such scenes commonly serve to highlight responsibility, restraint, and the dharmic evaluation of harm caused by human choices.
Fishermen surround a pond/reservoir and create multiple outlets or channels, draining the water into nearby low ground. The action is purposeful and systematic, preparing the ground for what follows in the story (typically the exposure and capture or suffering of aquatic life).