Shloka 24
अद्भयोउन्नि््रह्यृत: क्षत्रमश्मनो लोहमुत्थितम् । तेषां सर्वत्रगं तेज: स्वासु योनिषु शाम्यति
adbhyo 'nniḥṛtaḥ kṣatram aśmano loham utthitam | teṣāṁ sarvatragaṁ tejaḥ svāsu yoniṣu śāmyati ||
Bhishma dit : «De l’eau on tire la puissance royale —le principe kshatriya de règne et de force—, et de la pierre on fait naître le fer. Pourtant, l’énergie qui semble se répandre partout en ces choses finit par s’apaiser et s’épuiser dans sa propre source.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power (kṣatra/tejas) is not absolute; it arises from specific causes and conditions and ultimately returns to, or is limited by, its own source. Therefore, rulers should practice restraint and humility, recognizing the dependence and finitude of their strength.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and governance using natural analogies: just as iron comes from stone and something is drawn from water, so too worldly power emerges from underlying sources and then subsides back into its proper ground.