Shloka 78
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
परिक्षीणाश्न लुब्धाश्न क्रुद्धा भीता: प्रतारिता: । हृतस्वा मानिनो ये च त्यक्तादाना महेप्सव:
parikṣīṇāś ca lubdhāś ca kruddhā bhītāḥ pratāritāḥ | hṛtasvā mānino ye ca tyaktadānā mahepsavaḥ ||
भीष्म ने कहा—जो सेवक क्षीण हो गए हों, लोभी हों, क्रोधी हों, भयभीत और ठगे गए हों; जिनका सर्वस्व छिन गया हो; जो अभिमानी हों; जिन्हें उनका उचित दान-पुरस्कार न मिला हो; और जो बड़े पद की लालसा रखते हों—ऐसे लोग सेवा में रहकर भी शत्रुओं के उपकरण बन जाते हैं।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should be vigilant about retainers whose inner state is marked by deprivation, humiliation, fear, anger, greed, deception, or frustrated ambition; such conditions often turn a dependent into a conduit for hostile forces. Sound governance requires not only rewarding merit but also preventing the buildup of resentment that leads to betrayal.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on raja-dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira about political dangers within one’s own establishment. This verse lists categories of discontented or destabilized servants and warns that they commonly end up serving an enemy’s interests.