Shloka 23
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
यस्य कोशबलग्लान्या सर्वलोकपरा भव: । भैक्ष्यचर्या न विहिता न च विट् शूद्रजीविका
yasya kośa-bala-glānyā sarva-loka-parā bhavaḥ | bhaikṣya-caryā na vihitā na ca viṭ-śūdra-jīvikā ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «El consejo precedente está destinado al kshatriya cuyo tesoro y fuerza militar han decaído y que, por ello, afronta la posibilidad de ser sometido por todos. Para un kshatriya no está prescrito vivir de la mendicidad, ni adoptar el sustento propio de un vaishya o de un shudra».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A kshatriya must uphold kshatriya-dharma even in hardship: when wealth and military power decline and defeat threatens, he should not resort to begging or to occupations assigned to vaishyas or shudras; the prior guidance is framed specifically for such a crisis.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma is advising the king about proper conduct and permissible means of sustenance in times of political and economic weakness, clarifying what is and is not sanctioned for a kshatriya.