Shloka 1
Vetasa-Nīti: The Reed and the Flood (वेतस-नीति)
अप-#-रू+ त्रयोदशाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: शक्तिशाली शत्रुके सामने बेंतकी भाँति नतमस्तक होनेका उपदेश--सरिताओं और समुद्रका संवाद युधिछिर उवाच राजा राज्यमनुप्राप्य दुर्लभं भरतर्षभ । अमित्रस्यातिवृद्धस्य कथं तिछेदसाधन:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca— rājā rājyam anuprāpya durlabhaṁ bharatarṣabha | amitrasyātivṛddhasya kathaṁ tiṣṭhet sādhanavarjitaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : « Ô le plus éminent des Bhārata, même après avoir obtenu la rare fortune de la royauté, si un souverain manque des moyens nécessaires — tels qu’une armée et un trésor — comment pourrait-il tenir ferme devant un ennemi devenu excessivement puissant ? »
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key problem of rājadharma: moral intent alone is insufficient for protecting a realm; a king must also possess practical means (sādhana)—military strength, wealth, and supporting resources—to resist an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship and policy, Yudhiṣṭhira asks an elder authority (addressed as ‘Bharatarṣabha’) how a king who has gained a kingdom but lacks resources can survive against a greatly strengthened adversary—setting up counsel on strategy, humility, and survival before power.