Shloka 78

Devanagari script

परिक्षीणाश्न लुब्धाश्न क्रुद्धा भीता: प्रतारिता: । हृतस्वा मानिनो ये च त्यक्तादाना महेप्सव:,“जो अपने पदसे गिरा दिये जानेके कारण असंतुष्ट हों, अपमानित किये गये हों, जो स्वयं राजासे पुरस्कृत होकर दूसरोंके द्वारा कलंक लगाये जानेके कारण उस आदरसे वंचित कर दिये गये हों, जो क्षीण, लोभी, क्रोधी, भयभीत और धोखेमें डाले गये हों, जिनका सर्वस्व छीन लिया गया हो, जो मानी हों, जिनकी आय छिन गयी हो, जो महत्त्वपूर्ण पद पाना चाहते हों, जिन्हें सताया गया हो, जो किसी राजापर आनेवाले संकटसमूहकी प्रतीक्षा कर रहे हों, छिपे रहते हों और मनमें कपटभाव रखते हों, वे सभी सेवक शत्रुओंका काम बनानेवाले होते हैं

Transliteration

parikṣīṇāś ca lubdhāś ca kruddhā bhītāḥ pratāritāḥ | hṛtasvā mānino ye ca tyaktadānā mahepsavaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: Para pelayan yang telah lemah, tamak, pemarah, takut, dan tertipu; yang seluruh penghidupannya dirampas; yang congkak; yang kehilangan ganjaran yang semestinya; dan yang mendambakan jabatan tinggi—orang-orang seperti ini, meski tetap dipertahankan, cenderung menjadi alat musuh.

Word by Word

परिक्षीणाःexhausted, depleted

अश्नाःthose who eat / eaters (contextually: living on food/allowance)

लुब्धाःgreedy

अश्नाःeaters / those who subsist (repeated)

क्रुद्धाःangry

भीताःafraid

प्रचारिताःmisled / driven about / deceived

हृतस्वाःwhose own (wealth) has been taken away

मानिनःproud, self-respecting

येwho (those who)

चand

त्यक्तादानाःwho have abandoned taking/accepting (gifts/dues); who refuse to accept

महेप्सवःdesirous of great (things/positions)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.