Shloka 40
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
जिसके गुप्तचर, गुप्त विचार, निश्चय किए हुए करने योग्य कर्म और किये हुए कर्म शत्रुओंद्वारा कभी जाने न जा सकें, वही राजा राज्य पानेका अधिकारी है ।। श्लोकश्चायं पुरा गीतो भार्गवेण महात्मना । आखूयाते राजचरिते नृपतिं प्रति भारत,भारत! महात्मा भार्गवने पूर्वकालमें किसी राजाके प्रति राजोचित कर्तव्यका वर्णन करते समय इस श्लोकका गान किया था
yasya gūḍhacārā gūḍhamantrā niścitāḥ kartavyakarmāṇi kṛtāni ca karmāṇi śatrubhir na kadācana jñāyante sa eva rājā rājyaprāptum adhikārī | ślokaś cāyaṃ purā gīto bhārgaveṇa mahātmanā | ākhyāte rājacarite nṛpatiṃ prati bhārata ||
Bhishma said: The king alone is fit to obtain and hold sovereignty whose spies remain concealed, whose counsel is secret, and whose resolved duties and completed actions can never be discovered by enemies. This very verse, O Bharata, was sung long ago by the great Bhargava, when he was expounding the conduct and duties of kings to a ruler.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s fitness for sovereignty depends on disciplined secrecy and strategic prudence: intelligence networks, counsel, planned duties, and executed actions must be protected from enemy knowledge, because governance requires safeguarding the realm through controlled information.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on the practical duties of kingship and cites an older authoritative verse attributed to the Bhargava sage, presented as a traditional maxim on royal conduct.