Shloka 17
Vyavahāra-Śuddhi and Rājadharma: Clean Administration, Counsel, and Proportional Punishment
Chapter 86
कार्येष्वधिकृता: सम्यगकुर्वन्तो नृपानुगा: । आत्मानं पुरत: कृत्वा यान्त्यध: सहपार्थिवा:
kāryeṣv adhikṛtāḥ samyag akurvanto nṛpānugāḥ | ātmānaṃ purataḥ kṛtvā yānty adhaḥ saha pārthivāḥ, naraśreṣṭha |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara manusia, para pejabat dan pengiring raja yang ditugaskan pada urusan-urusan negara—bila mereka tidak melaksanakan tugas dengan benar dan, dengan mendahulukan kepentingan diri, gagal berlaku adil kepada rakyat—maka mereka jatuh ke bawah (ke neraka) bersama sang raja.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public authority is a moral trust: kings and their officers must protect and treat subjects justly according to dharma; self-serving governance leads to shared downfall.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on rajadharma, warning that rulers and appointed officials who neglect righteous administration and prioritize themselves over the people incur ruin together.