Shloka 13
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
आत्मानं सर्वतो रक्षन् राजन् रक्षस्व मेदिनीम् । आत्ममूलमिदं सर्वमाहुर्व विदुषो जना:
ātmānaṃ sarvato rakṣan rājan rakṣasva medinīm | ātmamūlam idaṃ sarvam āhur viduṣo janāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, while guarding yourself on every side, protect the earth. For the wise declare that everything rests upon one’s own safeguarded person as its root.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s duty to protect the kingdom depends on maintaining his own safety and capacity; the wise hold that effective governance is rooted in the ruler’s preserved life and strength.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma counsels the king (addressed as ‘rājan’) that safeguarding oneself is not selfishness but a prerequisite for protecting the realm and fulfilling royal duty.