Shloka 10
अविश्वास-निति: ब्रह्मदत्त–पूजनी-संवादः
Policy of Caution: The Brahmadatta–Pūjanī Dialogue
यथैव दंशमशकं यथा चाण्डपिपीलिकम् | सैव वृत्तिरयज्ञेषु यथा धर्मो विधीयते
yathaiva daṁśamaśakaṁ yathā cāṇḍapipīlikam | saiva vṛttir ayajñeṣu yathā dharmo vidhīyate ||
Bhishma dit : «De même qu’on traite les mouches qui mordent et les moustiques, et pareillement les petites fourmis, telle doit être la conduite envers ceux qui vivent sans sacrifice et s’opposent au devoir, selon ce que prescrit le dharma. Un roi connaissant le dharma doit étendre son autorité sur le peuple à la mesure de sa force, mais il doit aussi contenir et écarter ceux qui minent la conduite juste, afin que le règne du dharma soit établi et protégé dans le royaume.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king must uphold dharma by adopting an appropriate policy toward those who reject sacrificial and duty-bound life; like harmful insects, such disruptive elements should be restrained or removed so that dharma can be established in the kingdom.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on governance: he uses a vivid simile—mosquitoes, biting flies, and ants—to illustrate how a ruler should deal with people who act against prescribed duty and undermine righteous order.