Shloka 54
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
कच्चिदेषां प्रियो राजा कच्चिद् राज्ञ: प्रिया प्रजा: । विजिज्ञासुरिह प्राप्तस्तवाहं राजसत्तम
kaccid eṣāṁ priyo rājā kaccid rājñaḥ priyāḥ prajāḥ | vijijñāsur iha prāptas tavāhaṁ rājasattama ||
Bhishma said: “Is the king here dear to his people, and are the people dear to their king? O best of kings, I have come here with the wish to ascertain these matters.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s legitimacy and dharmic success are measured by reciprocal goodwill: the king should be beloved of the people and should, in turn, cherish and protect them. Mutual affection signals just governance and the welfare of the realm.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva’s discourse on governance, states that he has come to inquire into the condition of a kingdom—specifically whether there is mutual affection between king and subjects, a key indicator of righteous rule.