Shloka 12
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
आन्तरेभ्य: परान् रक्षन् परेभ्य: पुनरान्तरान् | परान् परेभ्य: स्वान् स्वेभ्य: सर्वान् पालय नित्यदा
āntarebhyaḥ parān rakṣan parebhyaḥ punar āntarān | parān parebhyaḥ svān svebhyaḥ sarvān pālaya nityadā, yudhiṣṭhira! ||
Bhīṣma said: “Protect those who are outside from those within, and again protect those within from those outside. Likewise, protect outsiders from outsiders, and your own people from their own people. In every way, at all times, keep everyone safeguarded, O Yudhiṣṭhira.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must practice vigilant, impartial protection: prevent harm caused by insiders against outsiders, prevent outsiders from harming insiders, and also restrain conflicts within each group. The ethical point is comprehensive guardianship—security and justice must operate in all directions, not merely against external threats.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising King Yudhiṣṭhira on practical governance. This verse frames the king’s duty as continuous protection and regulation of relationships among inner associates, outsiders, and one’s own people, emphasizing prevention of abuse and factional harm.