Shloka 53

Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)

Devanagari script

कच्चिज्जितेन्द्रियो राजा कच्चिदस्यान्तरा जिता:

Transliteration

kaccij jitendriyo rājā kaccid asyāntarā jitāḥ

Translation

Bhishma said: “Is the king self-controlled—one who has conquered his senses? And are those within his realm, his inner circle of attendants and officials, truly subdued by discipline and loyalty?” By these questions Bhishma tests the moral foundations of kingship: mastery over desire and anger in the ruler, and integrity among his servants; without these, the love between king and subjects and the stability of governance cannot endure.

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether?, I hope
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• जितेन्द्रियः: self-controlled (having conquered the senses)
• जितेन्द्रियः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जितेन्द्रिय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कच्चित्: whether?, I hope
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित्

• अस्य: of him/this (king/realm)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अन्तराः: those within; insiders (attendants/servants)
• अन्तराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• जिताः: conquered; subdued
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• rājā (the king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A kingdom’s welfare depends first on the ruler’s self-mastery (jitendriyatā) and then on the discipline and reliability of those closest to power; ethical governance begins with inner conquest before outward rule.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, speaking on principles of rājadharma, frames a set of diagnostic questions about a king’s character and the conduct of his inner circle, as a way to assess whether the realm is governed with stability, loyalty, and moral restraint.