Shloka 2
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
ह्वियमाणममात्येन भृत्यो वा यदि वा भृत: । यो राजकोशं नश्यन्तमाचक्षीत युधिष्ठिर
hvīyamāṇam amātyena bhṛtyo vā yadi vā bhṛtaḥ | yo rājakośaṃ naśyantam ācakṣīta yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhishma said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, if a minister is being accused, and a servant—or any person maintained by the king—reports that the royal treasury is being ruined, the king should hear that report in private and ensure the informant’s safety. For ministers who steal commonly seek to kill the one who exposes them.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must take reports of financial wrongdoing seriously, hear them discreetly, and protect the informant—because corrupt officials may retaliate violently against those who expose them.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on how a ruler should respond when someone reports that a minister is harming or embezzling the royal treasury, emphasizing confidential inquiry and safeguarding the reporter.