Shloka 4
कपोत-लुब्धकसंवादः — Hunter’s Remorse and Renunciatory Resolve
बह्नयः प्रतिविधातव्या: प्रज्ञा राज्ञा ततस्ततः । नैकशाखेन धर्मेण यत्रैषा सम्प्रवर्तते
bahvyaḥ pratividhātavyāḥ prajñā rājñā tatastataḥ | naikaśākhena dharmeṇa yatraiṣā sampravartate, yudhiṣṭhira |
Bhishma said: “A king should cultivate many kinds of practical intelligence, learning from various people in many places. He should not sit confined to a single, one-branched notion of dharma. O Yudhishthira, when this adaptive discernment awakens in a ruler at a time of crisis, he is able to devise a means of self-preservation.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should cultivate broad, adaptable discernment and not cling rigidly to a single, narrow formulation of dharma; flexible intelligence enables ethical and effective action, especially in crises.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on rajadharma, emphasizing that a king must learn varied strategies and judgments from diverse people and situations to protect himself and his realm.