Shloka 65
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
राजन्! अब मैं आपको अपना परिचय देता हूँ। मैं आपका सम्बन्धी हूँ। मेरा नाम है कालकवृक्षीय मुनि ।।
rājan! adhunāhaṃ te svaparicayaṃ dadāmi. ahaṃ tava sambandhī. mama nāma kālakavṛkṣīyo muniḥ. pituḥ sakhā ca bhavataḥ sammataḥ satyasaṅgaraḥ. vyāpanne bhavato rājye rājan pitari saṃsthite, sarvakāmān parityajya mayā tava hitāya tapaḥ kṛtam. tvayi snehenāhaṃ punar ihāgataḥ, etad sarvaṃ ca te bravīmi yathā tvaṃ punar na kasyacid vaśaṃ gaccheḥ.
Bhishma said: “O King, I shall now tell you who I am. I am your kinsman; my name is the sage Kālaka-vṛkṣīya. I was a trusted friend of your father, known for steadfast truth in his pledges. When your father had passed away and your kingdom fell into grave peril, I renounced my personal desires and undertook austerities for your welfare. Out of affection for you I have returned again, and I tell you all this so that you may not once more fall into another’s snare or be led astray.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should value counsel grounded in truth and proven loyalty, and must remain vigilant against being swayed or trapped by others’ schemes. The verse highlights ethical kingship: renunciation of self-interest for public welfare and the importance of trustworthy advisors.
A sage introduces himself to the king as a relative and as the late king’s trusted friend. He explains that when the kingdom faced crisis after the father’s death, he performed austerities for the king’s benefit, and he has returned now out of affection to warn the king not to be misled again.