Shloka 9
Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma
Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics
ईदृशस्य कुतो राज्ञ: सुखं भवति भारत । उद्यच्छेदेव न नमेदुद्यमो होव पौरुषम्
īdṛśasya kuto rājñaḥ sukhaṃ bhavati bhārata | udyacchedeva na named udyamo hova pauruṣam ||
भीष्म ने कहा—हे भारत! ऐसे राजा को सुख कहाँ से मिल सकता है? क्योंकि पुरुषार्थ का सच्चा उद्यम झुकता नहीं; जो ऊपर उठाया गया हो, वह झुकता नहीं।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s happiness is inseparable from steadfast, upright effort. Bhīṣma emphasizes that genuine pauruṣa (manly resolve/initiative) does not stoop to weakness, fear, or moral compromise; it remains firm and elevated.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma after the war. Here he comments on the inner condition of a king: without unwavering enterprise and courage, a king cannot attain sukha or stability in rule.