Shloka 4
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
राजकोशस्य गोप्तारं राजकोशविलोपका: । समेत्य सर्वे बाधन्ते स विनश्यत्यरक्षित:
rājakośasya goptāraṃ rājakośavilopakāḥ | sametya sarve bādhante sa vinaśyaty arakṣitaḥ ||
Mereka yang menjarah perbendaharaan raja akan bersatu dan menindas orang yang ditugaskan menjaganya. Jika raja tidak melindunginya, sang penjaga yang tak berdaya itu binasa—meski ia menjalankan kewajibannya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must actively protect honest officials who safeguard public wealth; otherwise corrupt actors will unite to persecute them, and the state’s moral order collapses along with the innocent.
Bhishma warns that treasury-plunderers collectively target the treasury-guardian; if the king fails to provide protection, the guardian is ruined—highlighting the king’s duty to shield loyal servants against organized corruption.