Shloka 28
Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)
जो राजा सदा सबके संग्रहमें संलग्न, उद्योगशील और मित्रोंसे सम्पन्न होता है, वही सब राजाओंमें श्रेष्ठ है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | yo rājā sadā sarveṣāṃ saṃgrahe saṃlagnaḥ udyogaśīlaḥ mitraiś ca sampannaḥ sa eva sarvarājānāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ || śakyā ca aśvasahasreṇa vīrāroheṇa bhārata | saṃgṛhītamanuṣyeṇa kṛtsnā jetuṃ vasundharā ||
ビーシュマは言った。「常に人々を集めて結び合わせ、事にあたって精励し、同盟者と友に富む王—その者こそ諸王のうち最上である。おおバーラタよ、このようにして家臣らの忠誠と結束を確かなものとした統治者は、ただ千の勇猛なる騎馬の士のみをもって、全大地を征服し得る。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the true strength of a king lies less in sheer numbers and more in consolidation: keeping people united, being industrious, and maintaining strong alliances. When men are loyal and well-organized, even a small, elite force can achieve great victories.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on the qualities of an excellent ruler. He praises a king devoted to ‘saṃgraha’—the gathering and securing of people and allies—and illustrates its practical power by saying such a ruler could conquer the earth with only a thousand heroic horsemen.