Shloka 15
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
नैतदौपयिकं राजंस्त्वयि भीष्मे च जीवति । यदन्योन्येन ते पुत्रा विरुध्यन्ते कथंचन,महाराज! तुम्हारे और भीष्मके जीते-जी यह उचित नहीं जान पड़ता कि तुम्हारे पुत्र किसी प्रकार आपसमें विरोध करें
naitad aupayikaṃ rājan tvayi bhīṣme ca jīvati | yad anyonyena te putrā virudhyante kathaṃcana ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O King, while you and Bhīṣma are still alive, it does not seem proper or fitting that your sons should, in any manner, fall into mutual opposition. Such discord, under the guardianship of elders, is ethically inappropriate and threatens the order that dharma requires within the royal house.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses that internal rivalry among princes is adharma when responsible elders are still alive; the presence of senior guardians (the king and Bhīṣma) implies a duty to maintain unity, restraint, and orderly succession rather than factional conflict.
Vaiśaṃpāyana comments on the impropriety of the king’s sons turning against one another, emphasizing that such hostility should not arise while the king and Bhīṣma—figures of authority and counsel—are still living and able to prevent disorder.