Shloka 47
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
आशीविषै: परिवृतः कूपस्त्वमसि पार्थिव । दुर्गतीर्था बृहत्कूला कारीरा वेत्रसंयुता
āśīviṣaiḥ parivṛtaḥ kūpas tvam asi pārthiva | durgatīrthā bṛhatkūlā kārīrā vetra-saṁyutā ||
Bhīṣma said: “O king, you are like a well encircled by venomous serpents—hard to approach, with treacherous steps, broad-banked, and overgrown with thorny reeds and cane. One who comes near you seeking benefit is more likely to meet danger than refuge.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (or any powerful person) should be approachable and safe for those seeking help; when one is surrounded by ‘poison’—anger, greed, cruelty, or corrupt associates—people who come near are harmed. Ethical authority requires inner restraint and a protective, not predatory, presence.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma and proper conduct. Here he uses a sharp metaphor: the king is compared to a well that ought to provide relief, yet is rendered dangerous by serpents and obstructing growth—signaling that the king’s current disposition or environment makes seeking his aid perilous.