Shloka 51
भिक्षुकांश्चाक्रिकांश्वैव क्लीबोन्मत्तान् कुशीलवान् । बाह्यान् कुर्यन्नरश्रेष्ठ दोषाय स्युरहि तेडन्यथा
bhikṣukāṁś cākṛkāṁś caiva klībonmattān kuśīlavān | bāhyān kuryān naraśreṣṭha doṣāya syur hi te ’nyathā ||
Bhishma said: “O best of men, when war has broken out, a king should have beggars, cart-drivers, eunuchs, the mad, and stage-performers removed to the outside (of the city). Otherwise, if left within, they may become a source of grave harm and disorder.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In wartime, a ruler must prioritize public security and prevent internal disorder; Bhishma advises removing potentially disruptive or vulnerable groups from the city to reduce risks such as panic, espionage, sabotage, or breakdown of discipline.
Bhishma, in his instruction on kingship and statecraft in the Shanti Parva, gives practical counsel to the king: when conflict begins, the city should be secured by controlling movement and relocating certain non-combatant groups outside the urban center to avert danger.