Shloka 24
कच्चित् कृषिकरा राष्ट्र न जहत्यतिपीडिता: । ये वहन्ति धुरं राज्ञां ते भरन्तीतरानपि
kaccit kṛṣikarā rāṣṭra na jahaty atipīḍitāḥ | ye vahanti dhuraṃ rājñāṃ te bharantītarān api ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Espero que los cultivadores de tu reino, aplastados por exacciones excesivas, no estén abandonando el país. Pues son ellos quienes cargan con el peso de los reyes, y son ellos quienes sostienen también al resto del pueblo.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s prosperity rests on the well-being of cultivators; excessive pressure (especially through harsh levies) drives them away and undermines the entire social order. Ethical governance protects those who produce food and revenue, recognizing them as the foundation that sustains both the state and society.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship (rājadharma), Bhishma questions the ruler about the condition of the realm, specifically whether farmers are being overburdened and leaving. He emphasizes that cultivators carry the king’s fiscal burden and feed everyone else, making their protection a key duty of governance.