Shloka 9
Bala and Dharma in Kṣatriya Governance (बल-धर्म सम्बन्धः)
युधिछ्िर उवाच आशभ्यन्तरे प्रकुपिते बाहरी चोपनिपीडिते । क्षीणे कोशे श्रुते मन्त्रे कि कार्यमवशिष्यते
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | āśābhyantare prakupite bāharī copanipīḍite | kṣīṇe kośe śrute mantre kiṁ kāryam avaśiṣyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai Kakek, ketika harapan di dalam telah kacau, ketika tekanan dari luar menghimpit, ketika perbendaharaan telah habis, dan ketika musyawarah rahasia raja telah tersiar—tindakan apa yang masih tersisa baginya?”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an extreme test of rājadharma: when internal morale collapses, external enemies press, finances are depleted, and secrecy is lost, a ruler must still seek a remaining dharmic course—prioritizing survival of the polity through prudent counsel, restoration of order, and ethically grounded strategy rather than despair.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma about governance. Here he presents a worst-case scenario for a king—internal turmoil and anger, external oppression, an empty treasury, and leaked state secrets—and asks what action is still possible.