Shloka 38
राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः
Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration
अजस्मुपयोक्तव्यं फलं गोमिषु भारत । प्रभावयन्ति राष्ट्र च व्यवहारं कृषिं तथा
ajas mupayoktavyaṁ phalaṁ gomiṣu bhārata | prabhāvayanti rāṣṭraṁ ca vyavahāraṁ kṛṣiṁ tathā |
Bhishma said: O Bharata, one should unfailingly give people the due fruit of their work—especially those engaged in trade and commerce. For they are the ones who strengthen the kingdom by sustaining its exchange of goods and services, its occupations and livelihoods, and even agriculture. Thus, fair recompense is presented as a kingly duty that preserves prosperity and social order.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (and society) must ensure fair and timely recompense for labor, especially for those who sustain commerce and production, because their well-being directly supports the prosperity and stability of the state.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises the Bharata king on practical governance: rewarding and supporting traders and productive classes so that commerce, occupations, and agriculture flourish in the kingdom.