Shloka 33
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
ददात्यस्मद्विधो<मात्यो बुद्धिसाहाय्यमापदि । वायसस्त्वेष मे राजन् ननु कार्याभिसंहित:
dadāty asmad-vidho ’mātyo buddhi-sāhāyyam āpadi | vāyasas tv eṣa me rājan nanu kāryābhisaṁhitaḥ ||
भीष्म बोले—मेरे जैसा मन्त्री आपत्ति में बुद्धि और परामर्श से सहायता देता है। राजन्! मेरा यह कौआ भी निश्चय ही आपके कार्य-साधन में लगा था; पर वह मारा गया—संभव है, वैसी ही गति मेरी भी हो।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In crisis, a ruler’s strength depends on wise counsel: a true minister supports the king with intelligence and strategy, and loyalty to the king’s purpose may demand personal risk.
Bhishma speaks to the king, emphasizing his role as a counselor in times of danger. He points to his crow—previously involved in the king’s work—now killed, using it as an ominous sign and a reflection on his own possible fate.