Shloka 12
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
आरामेषु तथोद्याने पण्डितानां समागमे । देशेषु चत्वरे चैव सभास्वावसथेषु च
ārāmeṣu tathodyāne paṇḍitānāṃ samāgame | deśeṣu catvare caiva sabhāsv āvasatheṣu ca ||
Bhishma said: A king should keep vigilant watch—through his confidential agents—over public gathering places such as pleasure-groves and gardens, assemblies of learned men, various localities and provinces, crossroads, public halls, and lodging houses, so that he may detect and neutralize spies planted by hostile powers.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must protect the kingdom by discreetly monitoring common public spaces through trusted intelligence, identifying enemy agents before they can harm social order.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma, he lists the kinds of public places—parks, gardens, scholarly gatherings, regions, crossroads, halls, and lodging houses—where a king should watch for enemy spies.