Shloka 35
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
ये त्वादानपरा एव वसन्ति भवतो गृहे । अभूतिकामा भूतानां तादृशैमेंडभिसंहितम्
ye tv ādānaparā eva vasanti bhavato gṛhe | abhūtikāmā bhūtānāṃ tādṛśair meḍabhisaṃhitam ||
Bhīṣma said: Those who are intent only on taking—who live within your own house while plundering your treasury—do not truly seek the welfare and prosperity of the people. Such men, by their very nature and conduct, have entered into hostility with me.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma warns that those who live close to power yet are driven by greed and appropriation undermine the welfare of the people; a ruler should recognize such internal predators and not mistake proximity for loyalty or public-spiritedness.
In Bhishma’s instruction on governance and dharma, he identifies a class of insiders who dwell in the ruler’s own household while exploiting his resources; he characterizes them as anti-welfare and notes that association with such people constitutes enmity toward him and toward righteous rule.