Shloka 153
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
डन्द्वैस्तैस्तैस्त्वपहत: सर्वतः परिशड्कित: । बहुप्रत्यर्थिकं राज्यमुपास्ते गणयन्निशा:,वह नाना प्रकारके द्वन्द्*ोंस आहत और सब ओरसे शंकित हो रातें गिनता हुआ अनेक शत्रुओंसे भरे हुए राज्यका सेवन करता है
Dvandvaiḥ tais tais tv apahataḥ sarvataḥ pariśaṅkitaḥ | bahu-pratyarthikaṁ rājyam upāste gaṇayann niśāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Frappé sans cesse par des conflits multiples et assiégé de soupçons de toutes parts, un roi ne ‘jouit’ de son royaume que de nom—comptant les nuits qui s’écoulent—tout en régnant sur un pays rempli d’innombrables adversaires. Le vers souligne le prix éthique d’un pouvoir acquis ou conservé au milieu de l’hostilité : une souveraineté sans confiance devient un fardeau qui consume la paix de l’esprit.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rule sustained amid constant rivalry and suspicion destroys inner peace; a kingdom surrounded by adversaries becomes a source of fear rather than fulfillment. Rajadharma therefore requires securing trust, reducing enmity, and governing in a way that does not multiply opponents.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on राजधर्म (the duties of kings), Bhīṣma describes the psychological state of a ruler who is continually battered by conflicts and distrust. Such a king spends sleepless nights, merely ‘counting’ them, while trying to manage a realm contested by many enemies.