Shloka 25

Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)

Devanagari script

योधा: समरशौटीरा: कृतज्ञा: शस्त्रकोविदा: | धर्मशास्त्रसमायुक्ता: पदातिजनसंवृता:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | yodhāḥ samaraśauṭīrāḥ kṛtajñāḥ śastrakovidāḥ | dharmaśāstrasamāyuktāḥ padātijanasaṃvṛtāḥ |

Translation

Bhishma dit : « Possède véritablement la souveraineté sur la terre ce roi dont les guerriers sont des héros éprouvés au combat, reconnaissants et loyaux d’esprit, habiles dans l’usage des armes, affermis dans les enseignements du dharma, et entourés d’une infanterie solidement appuyée. »

Word by Word

• योधाः: warriors
• योधाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: योध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• समर-शौटीराḥ: valiant in battle
• समर-शौटीराḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शौटीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कृतज्ञाः: grateful
• कृतज्ञाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शस्त्र-कोविदाः: skilled with weapons
• शस्त्र-कोविदाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोविद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धर्म-शास्त्र-समायुक्ताः: endowed with knowledge of dharma-texts
• धर्म-शास्त्र-समायुक्ताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समायुक्त (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from सम्-युज्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पदाति-जन-संवृताः: surrounded by infantrymen
• पदाति-जन-संवृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संवृत (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from सम्-वृ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• king (rājā)
• warriors (yodhāḥ)
• weapons (śastrāṇi)
• Dharmaśāstra
• infantry (padāti)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Legitimate and stable rule depends on an army that is both competent in warfare and guided by dharma: bravery and technical skill must be joined with gratitude/loyalty and ethical understanding.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises the king about the qualities of forces that sustain sovereignty—describing the ideal warriors and the supportive infantry that enable righteous governance.