Shloka 60
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
यथा स्यात् सुधृतो दण्डो यथा च सुकृतं कृतम् । तथा समीक्ष्य भगवन् श्रेयसे विनियुड्धक्ष्य माम्
yathā syāt sudhṛto daṇḍo yathā ca sukṛtaṁ kṛtam | tathā samīkṣya bhagavan śreyase viniyujjhakṣya mām, bhagavan |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Bhagavan, pertimbangkanlah bagaimana tongkat hukuman kerajaan dapat ditegakkan dengan teguh dan adil, dan bagaimana kebajikan sungguh-sungguh dapat terlaksana melalui diriku. Setelah menimbang semuanya, arahkanlah aku ke jalan yang menuju kesejahteraan tertinggi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power (daṇḍa) must be held steadily and used rightly, and governance should aim at producing genuine good actions; therefore one should seek wise guidance to be directed toward śreyas—true welfare rather than mere expediency.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and statecraft, Bhishma addresses a revered authority (bhagavan), requesting counsel so that he may uphold royal discipline properly and act in ways that lead to the highest good.