Shloka 20
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
कोशक्षये त्वमित्राणां वशं कौसल्य गच्छति । उभयत्र प्रयुक्तस्य धर्मेणाधर्म एव च
kośakṣaye tv amitrāṇāṁ vaśaṁ kauśalya gacchati | ubhayatra prayuktasya dharmeṇādharm eva ca |
Bhishma dit : «Quand le trésor est épuisé, ô Kaushalya, un roi tombe inévitablement sous la coupe de ses ennemis. Car le souverain qui s’emploie sans cesse des deux côtés—tantôt dans le dharma, tantôt dans l’adharma—voit sa richesse se vider à coup sûr ; et lorsque les coffres sont vides, son indépendance s’effondre et il devient vulnérable aux puissances adverses.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s strength rests on a well-maintained treasury; reckless conduct—whether justified as dharma or driven by adharma—can drain resources, and once the treasury is depleted the ruler loses autonomy and becomes subject to enemies.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises a Kosala ruler (addressed as Kauśalya) about practical governance: financial depletion leads directly to political vulnerability and enemy domination.