Shloka 49

Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)

Devanagari script

नास्य च्छिद्रं पर: पश्येच्छिद्रेषु परमन्वियात्‌ । गूहेत्‌ कूर्म इवाड्रानि रक्षेद्‌ विवरमात्मन:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca |

nāsya chidraṃ paraḥ paśyec chidreṣu param anviyāt |

gūhet kūrma ivāṅgāni rakṣed vivaram ātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Let no enemy perceive his vulnerabilities; rather, let the king closely investigate the enemy’s weak points. Like a tortoise that draws in its limbs, the king should conceal his inner counsels and carefully guard every opening in his own defenses.”

Word by Word

• {'na': 'not', 'asya': 'of him

• his (i.e., the king’s)', 'chidram': 'a flaw, vulnerability, weak point

• an opening', 'paraḥ': 'the other

• an enemy, opponent', 'paśyet': 'should see, should perceive', 'chidreṣu': 'in the vulnerabilities/weak points (locative plural)', 'param': 'the enemy (as ‘the other’)

• also ‘supreme/utter’ depending on context', 'anviyāt (anu-√i)': 'should follow up, investigate, track closely', 'gūhet (√guh)': 'should conceal, hide', 'kūrmaḥ': 'tortoise', 'iva': 'like, as', 'aṅgāni': 'limbs, members (of the body)', 'rakṣet (√rakṣ)': 'should protect, guard', 'vivaram': 'an opening, gap, loophole', 'ātmanaḥ': 'of oneself

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• rājā (the king)
• paraḥ (enemy)
• kūrma (tortoise)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must practice strategic self-guarding: conceal one’s own weaknesses and confidential plans, while diligently identifying the opponent’s vulnerabilities. The tortoise image teaches restraint, containment, and disciplined protection of one’s ‘openings’.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical kingship. Here he gives a concise rule of political prudence: do not let enemies detect your weak points; instead, study theirs and keep your counsel protected.