Shloka 14
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
यस्य क्षेत्रादप्युदकं क्षेत्रमन््यस्य गच्छति । न तत्रानिच्छतस्तस्य भियद्येरन् सर्वसेतव:
yasya kṣetrād apy udakaṃ kṣetram anyasya gacchati | na tatra anicchatas tasya bhidyeyuḥ sarva-setavaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「ある者の田から流れ出た水が他者の田へと入るとき、たとえ相手に益があろうとも、田の主の意思に反して、その場の堤や畦、境界を破ったり切り開いたりしてはならぬ。これは灌漑の水のような共有資源を調えるにあたり、節度と他人の所有への敬意を守るための掟である。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when water naturally flows between neighboring fields, one must not violate another person’s consent by breaching their boundary-bunds; dharma protects property and prevents conflict through restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma and social regulation, Bhīṣma lays down a practical rule for rural life: managing irrigation and runoff without forcibly damaging another’s embankments.