Shloka 32
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
कोशं दण्डं बलं॑ मित्र यदन््यदपि संचितम् | न कुर्वीतान्तरं राष्ट्रे राजा परिगत: क्षुधा
Bhīṣma uvāca | kośaṁ daṇḍaṁ balaṁ mitra yad anyad api sañcitam | na kurvītāntaraṁ rāṣṭre rājā parigataḥ kṣudhā ||
Dijo Bhishma: Aun cuando un rey sea vencido por el hambre—apremiado por la penuria para su propio sustento—no debe sacar del reino, ni permitir que en él haya merma alguna, el tesoro (kośa), el poder del castigo y del gobierno (daṇḍa), el ejército, los aliados, ni cualesquiera otros recursos acumulados. La aflicción personal del soberano no ha de debilitar los cimientos del Estado, pues ello pone en peligro al pueblo y socava la realeza conforme al dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must not, even under personal hunger or financial distress, deplete or remove the kingdom’s essential supports—treasury, law-and-order authority, military strength, alliances, and stored resources—because these exist for the protection and stability of the realm and its people.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on practical ethics of rulership, warning that a ruler’s private hardship should not lead to policies that create shortages or weaken core institutions of the state.