Shloka 12
मयूरवद्राजधर्मः (Mayūra-vat Rāja-dharma) — The Peacock-Model of Protective Kingship
यस्तु सिंह: श्वभि: कीर्ण: सिंहकर्मफले रत: । नस सिंहफल भोक्तुं शक्त: श्वभिरुपासित:
yastu siṁhaḥ śvabhiḥ kīrṇaḥ siṁha-karma-phale rataḥ | na sa siṁha-phalaṁ bhoktuṁ śaktāḥ śvabhir upāsitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Mais si un lion, entouré de chiens, demeure attaché aux actes et aux fruits dignes du lion, il ne peut pourtant jouir pleinement de la “part du lion” ; car, servi et contenu par des chiens, son fruit légitime se trouve entravé et diminué. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right action and noble intent may fail to yield their proper reward if one is surrounded by unworthy companions or dependents; association and the quality of one’s support can obstruct the fruition of dharma.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira through moral analogies. Here he uses the image of a lion encircled by dogs to show how a noble person’s rightful ‘lion’s share’ can be prevented when he is hemmed in and attended by base company.