Shloka 5
Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)
केषु विश्वसितव्यं स्याद् राज्ञा कस्याज्चिदापदि । कुतो वा5>त्मा दृढं रक्ष्यस्तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह
keṣu viśvasitavyaṃ syād rājñā kasyāś cid āpadi | kuto vātmā dṛḍhaṃ rakṣyas tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
पितामह! किसी आपत्ति के आने पर राजा को किन लोगों पर विश्वास करना चाहिए? और किन लोगों से अपने शरीर की दृढ़तापूर्वक रक्षा करनी चाहिए? यह मुझे बताइये।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a key rājadharma problem: in times of danger, a ruler must discern reliable allies and identify potential threats, balancing trust with prudent self-protection.
Vaiśampāyana introduces a question addressed to Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma), asking for guidance on whom a king should trust during calamity and from whom he should guard his own person.