Shloka 16
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
जानीयुर्यदि ते वृत्तं प्रशंसन्ति न वा पुन: । कच्चिद् रोचेज्जनपदे कच्चिद् राष्ट्र च मे यश:
jānīyur yadi te vṛttaṃ praśaṃsanti na vā punaḥ | kaccid rocec janapade kaccid rāṣṭre ca me yaśaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “You should find out whether, if people were to learn of your conduct, they would praise it or not. And ask also whether my reputation is pleasing to the people—both in the outlying villages and throughout the whole realm.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes ethical self-audit for rulers: conduct should withstand public knowledge and earn rightful praise. A king’s legitimacy is tied not only to power but to reputation grounded in dharma, tested across the whole realm—from villages to the center.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhishma advises the inquirer (the king) to verify how people would judge his behavior if it became widely known, and to assess whether the ruler’s fame is genuinely pleasing to subjects throughout the kingdom.