Shloka 31
राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः
Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration
कलत्रमादित: कृत्वा सर्व वो विनशेदिति । अपि चेत् पुत्रदारार्थमर्थसंचय इष्यते
kalatram āditaḥ kṛtvā sarva vo vinaśed iti | api cet putradārārtham arthasañcaya iṣyate ||
Bhishma dit : «Quand l’ennemi attaque, le péril s’abat d’abord sur vos épouses et votre maison ; et avec eux, tout ce que vous possédez peut être anéanti. Même si l’on admet l’accumulation des richesses pour protéger fils et épouse, souvenez-vous qu’en temps de calamité, ceux-là mêmes pour qui l’on amasse deviennent le premier point de danger. Aussi faut-il peser, avec discernement, l’attachement, la protection et la prudence.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth is often justified as a means to protect one’s family, yet in times of attack or crisis the family becomes the first locus of vulnerability; therefore one should not be blindly attached to possessions or dependents, but act with discernment about security, priorities, and the limits of material protection.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and practical ethics. Here he warns about the consequences of enemy aggression: when danger comes, wives and children are threatened first, and with them one’s accumulated wealth can be lost—prompting reflection on why wealth is gathered and how to respond wisely in adversity.