Shloka 13
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
वाड्मात्रेण विनीतः स्याद् हृदयेन यथा क्षुर: । श्लक्ष्णपूर्वाभिभाषी च कामक्रोधौ विवर्जयेत्
vāg-mātreṇa vinītaḥ syād hṛdayena yathā kṣuraḥ | ślakṣṇa-pūrvābhibhāṣī ca kāma-krodhau vivarjayet ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Qu’un roi soit humble seulement dans ses paroles au dehors, mais qu’il garde un cœur aussi tranchant qu’un rasoir. Qu’il s’adresse d’abord aux autres avec des mots lisses et agréables, et qu’il renonce au désir et à la colère. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should practice strategic gentleness in speech while maintaining inner sharpness and vigilance, and must renounce the destabilizing impulses of lust (kāma) and anger (krodha).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising the king on effective and ethical statecraft—how to speak, how to guard one’s inner resolve, and which passions to restrain.