Shloka 17
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
अदैवं दैवतं कुर्युर्दैवतं चाप्पदैवतम् । यमिच्छेयु: स राजा स्याद् ये नेष्ट: स पराभवेत्
adaivaṁ daivataṁ kuryur daivataṁ cāpy adaivatam | yam iccheyuḥ sa rājā syād ye neṣṭaḥ sa parābhavet ||
Bhishma dit : « Ils peuvent faire paraître divin ce qui ne l’est pas, et ils peuvent dépouiller de sa divinité même ce qui est véritablement divin. Celui qu’ils veulent, celui-là devient roi ; et celui qu’ils ne veulent pas reconnaître comme roi, celui-là rencontre la défaite. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights how collective influence—courtiers, elites, or the public—can manufacture legitimacy: they can elevate the unworthy as “divine” and diminish the worthy, determining who is accepted as king and who is brought to ruin. The ethical warning is to be wary of power that manipulates reputation and sacred status.
In Bhishma’s instruction on governance and dharma, he comments on the forces that shape royal authority. He observes that a ruler’s rise or fall often depends not only on personal merit but also on the will and endorsement of influential groups who can confer or withdraw recognition.