Shloka 16
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
विपन्ने च समारम्भे संतापं मा सम वै कृथा: । घटस्वैव सदा55त्मानं राज्ञामेष परो नय:,अतः यदि आरम्भ किया हुआ कार्य पूरा न हो सके अथवा उसमें बाधा पड़ जाय तो इसके लिये तुम्हें अपने मनमें दुःख नहीं मानना चाहिये। तुम सदा अपने आपको पुरुषार्थमें ही लगाये रखो। यही राजाओंकी सर्वोत्तम नीति है
vipanne ca samārambhe santāpaṁ mā sma vai kṛthāḥ | ghaṭasvaiva sadātmānaṁ rājñām eṣa paro nayaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “If an undertaking fails or meets with obstruction, do not give way to grief. Keep yourself continually engaged in resolute effort. This, for kings, is the highest principle of statecraft.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should not sink into sorrow when a planned enterprise fails or is obstructed; the superior royal policy is steady, continuous effort and renewed striving rather than despair.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma counsels the king (Yudhishthira) on practical governance: setbacks are inevitable, but a king must maintain composure and persist in purposeful action.