Shloka 14
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
यस्य क्षेत्रादप्युदकं क्षेत्रमन््यस्य गच्छति । न तत्रानिच्छतस्तस्य भियद्येरन् सर्वसेतव:
yasya kṣetrād apy udakaṃ kṣetram anyasya gacchati | na tatra anicchatas tasya bhidyeyuḥ sarva-setavaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Si l’eau qui s’écoule du champ d’un homme passe dans le champ d’un autre, alors—même si elle profite à ce dernier—on ne doit pas, contre la volonté du propriétaire, briser ni entailler les digues, levées et limites qui s’y trouvent. Cette règle maintient la retenue et le respect du bien d’autrui tout en ordonnant l’usage de ressources communes comme l’eau d’irrigation.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when water naturally flows between neighboring fields, one must not violate another person’s consent by breaching their boundary-bunds; dharma protects property and prevents conflict through restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma and social regulation, Bhīṣma lays down a practical rule for rural life: managing irrigation and runoff without forcibly damaging another’s embankments.