Shloka 47
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
आशीविषै: परिवृतः कूपस्त्वमसि पार्थिव । दुर्गतीर्था बृहत्कूला कारीरा वेत्रसंयुता
āśīviṣaiḥ parivṛtaḥ kūpas tvam asi pārthiva | durgatīrthā bṛhatkūlā kārīrā vetra-saṁyutā ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, engkau bagaikan sumur yang dikepung ular berbisa—sukar didekati, langkahnya menipu, tebingnya lebar, dan dipenuhi semak berduri, gelagah serta rotan. Orang yang mendekat demi manfaat lebih mungkin menjumpai bahaya daripada perlindungan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler (or any powerful person) should be approachable and safe for those seeking help; when one is surrounded by ‘poison’—anger, greed, cruelty, or corrupt associates—people who come near are harmed. Ethical authority requires inner restraint and a protective, not predatory, presence.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma and proper conduct. Here he uses a sharp metaphor: the king is compared to a well that ought to provide relief, yet is rendered dangerous by serpents and obstructing growth—signaling that the king’s current disposition or environment makes seeking his aid perilous.