Shloka 41
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
अग्निना तामसं दुर्ग नौभिराप्यं च गम्यते । राजदुर्गावतरणे नोपायं पण्डिता विदु:
agninā tāmasaṃ durgaṃ naubhir āpyaṃ ca gamyate | rājadurgāvataraṇe nopāyaṃ paṇḍitā viduḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Benteng kegelapan dapat ditaklukkan dengan api, dan benteng air dapat diseberangi dengan perahu. Namun untuk turun dari—atau lolos dari—‘benteng’ kekuasaan seorang raja, bahkan orang bijak pun tidak mengetahui jalan yang pasti.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Natural obstacles have practical remedies (fire for darkness, boats for water), but political power—symbolized as the king’s fortress—can be inescapable; therefore one should act with great caution around rulers and the machinery of authority.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma uses vivid metaphors of different ‘forts’ to warn about the overwhelming, often unavoidable force of royal authority and the difficulty of finding a safe exit once entangled in it.