Shloka 49
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
यथा<5श्रित्य महावृक्ष॑ं कक्ष: संवर्धते महान् ततस्तं संवृणोत्येव तमतीत्य च वर्धते
bhīṣma uvāca | yathāśritya mahāvṛkṣaṃ kakṣaḥ saṃvardhate mahān | tataḥ taṃ saṃvṛṇoty eva tam atītya ca vardhate ||
Bhishma berkata: “Seperti rimbun sulur yang bersandar pada pohon besar tumbuh subur, lalu menutupi pohon itu dan, melampauinya, menjalar lebih tinggi—demikianlah para pengikut yang hidup dari dukungan raja pada akhirnya menindih sang raja. Wahai raja, para menterimu telah menjadi seperti itu; maka periksalah dan bersihkan mereka.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dependents and officials who rise through a ruler’s patronage can, if unchecked, entangle and overpower the very authority that sustained them. A king must scrutinize, discipline, and if necessary remove harmful ministers to protect the realm and uphold dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty (rājadharma), Bhishma warns a king through a vivid metaphor: creepers that grow by clinging to a great tree eventually wrap and surpass it. Likewise, the king’s ministers—strengthened by his support—have become dangerous, so Bhishma urges their purification/removal.