Shloka 29
Adhyāya 64: Dāna-prakāra—Suvarṇa, Pānīya-dāna, Ghṛta-dāna, and Upakaraṇa-dāna
Utility Gifts
धिक् तस्य जीवित राज्ञो राष्ट्र यस्यावसीदति । द्विजो<न्यो वा मनुष्योडपि शिबिराह वचो यथा
dhik tasya jīvitaṁ rājño rāṣṭraṁ yasyāvasīdati | dvijo 'nyo vā manuṣyo 'pi kṣudhā-pīḍitaḥ śibikā-vaco yathā ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «¡Vergüenza para la vida de aquel rey cuyo reino cae en la miseria, cuando en su dominio un brahmán o incluso cualquier otra persona es atormentada por el hambre! Tal es el sentido del dicho acerca de Śibikā».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s legitimacy and moral worth depend on protecting the basic welfare of all subjects. If anyone—especially the vulnerable, including Brahmins and ordinary people—suffers hunger in his realm, the king’s life and rule are condemned as adharma.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma, including the duties of rulers. Here he delivers a sharp rebuke: a ruler whose kingdom declines into distress, evidenced by people starving, deserves censure, citing a traditional maxim associated with ‘Śibikā’ as an illustrative saying.