Shloka 15
तथैवात्युदकाद् भीतस्तस्य भेदनमिच्छति । यमेवंलक्षणं विद्यात् तममित्र विनिर्दिशेत्,इसी प्रकार आड़ न टूटनेसे जिसके खेतमें अधिक जल भर जाता है, वह भयभीत हो उस जलको निकालनेके लिये खेतकी आड़को तोड़ डालना चाहता है। जिसमें ऐसे लक्षण जान पड़ें, उसीको शत्रु समझो, अर्थात् जो अपने राज्यकी सीमाका रक्षक है, वह यदि सीमा तोड़ दे तो अपने राज्यपर भय आ सकता है; अतः उसे भी शत्रु ही समझना चाहिये
tathaivātyudakād bhītastasya bhedanam icchati | yam evaṃlakṣaṇaṃ vidyāt tam amitraṃ vinirdiśet ||
Bhishma said: “Likewise, a man who is frightened because excessive water has collected in his field wishes to break the embankment to let it out. Know such a person by these signs and designate him an enemy: for if the very boundary-guard of a kingdom breaks the boundary, danger may come upon the realm; therefore he too should be regarded as an enemy.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person entrusted with protecting boundaries or safeguards becomes especially dangerous if he himself breaches them; betrayal by a guardian is a clear sign of enmity and must be treated as a security threat.
Bhishma uses a practical agrarian analogy: when a field floods, a frightened farmer may want to break the embankment to release water. He applies this to governance—if a kingdom’s boundary-keeper breaks the boundary, it invites peril, so such a person should be identified as an enemy.