Shloka 12
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
आरामेषु तथोद्याने पण्डितानां समागमे । देशेषु चत्वरे चैव सभास्वावसथेषु च
ārāmeṣu tathodyāne paṇḍitānāṃ samāgame | deśeṣu catvare caiva sabhāsv āvasatheṣu ca ||
Bhīṣma dit : Un roi doit demeurer en veille constante—par l’entremise de ses agents de confiance—dans les lieux où le peuple se rassemble : bosquets de plaisance et jardins, assemblées des savants, contrées et provinces diverses, carrefours, salles publiques et maisons d’hôtes, afin de déceler et de réduire à néant les espions placés par des puissances hostiles.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must protect the kingdom by discreetly monitoring common public spaces through trusted intelligence, identifying enemy agents before they can harm social order.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma, he lists the kinds of public places—parks, gardens, scholarly gatherings, regions, crossroads, halls, and lodging houses—where a king should watch for enemy spies.