Shloka 28
जो राजा सदा सबके संग्रहमें संलग्न, उद्योगशील और मित्रोंसे सम्पन्न होता है, वही सब राजाओंमें श्रेष्ठ है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | yo rājā sadā sarveṣāṃ saṃgrahe saṃlagnaḥ udyogaśīlaḥ mitraiś ca sampannaḥ sa eva sarvarājānāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ || śakyā ca aśvasahasreṇa vīrāroheṇa bhārata | saṃgṛhītamanuṣyeṇa kṛtsnā jetuṃ vasundharā ||
Bhishma dit : Le roi qui se voue sans cesse à rassembler les hommes et à les tenir unis, qui agit avec vigueur, et qui abonde en alliés et en amis—lui seul est le meilleur parmi les rois. Et, ô Bharata, le souverain qui a ainsi affermi la loyauté et la cohésion des siens peut conquérir la terre entière avec seulement mille cavaliers héroïques.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the true strength of a king lies less in sheer numbers and more in consolidation: keeping people united, being industrious, and maintaining strong alliances. When men are loyal and well-organized, even a small, elite force can achieve great victories.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on the qualities of an excellent ruler. He praises a king devoted to ‘saṃgraha’—the gathering and securing of people and allies—and illustrates its practical power by saying such a ruler could conquer the earth with only a thousand heroic horsemen.