Shloka 32

Devanagari script

अरक्षितारं हर्तारें विलोप्तारमनायकम्‌ | तं वै राजकलिं हन्यु: प्रजा: सन्नह निर्धणम्‌

Transliteration

arakṣitāraṁ hartāraṁ viloptāram anāyakam | taṁ vai rāja-kaliṁ hanyuḥ prajāḥ sannaha nirdhanam ||

Translation

ភីṣ្មៈបានមានព្រះវាចា៖ អ្នកគ្រប់គ្រងដែលមិនការពារប្រជា តែវិញទៅលួចប្លន់ និងបង្ខិតបង្ខំយកទ្រព្យ ហើយគ្មានការណែនាំឬមន្ត្រីដឹកនាំសមរម្យ—មនុស្សនោះមិនមែនជាស្តេចទេ ប៉ុន្តែជាកាលី (Kali) ក្នុងរូបស្តេច។ ប្រជាជនគួរតែប្រដាប់អាវុធ ចាប់ចង ហើយសម្លាប់អ្នកបង្កទុក្ខវេទនាដែលធ្វើឲ្យប្រជាជនក្រីក្រ និងឃោរឃៅនោះ។

Word by Word

• {'arakṣitāram': 'one who does not protect (the subjects)', 'hartāram': 'one who takes away

• a robber/seizer', 'viloptāram': 'a plunderer

• one who despoils', 'anāyakam': 'without a leader/guide

• lacking proper leadership (or counsellorship)', 'rāja-kalim': '‘Kali’ as a king

• a king who embodies the evils of Kali', 'hanyuḥ': 'they should kill/slay', 'prajāḥ': 'the subjects

• the people', 'sannaha': 'having armed/arrayed themselves

• prepared for action', 'nirdhanam': 'impoverishing

• making (the people) without wealth (also: poor)'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• prajāḥ (the subjects/people)
• rājā (king)
• Kali (as a principle/personification)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king’s primary dharma is protection and just governance. A ruler who exploits rather than protects forfeits legitimacy; Bhishma frames such a tyrant as ‘Kali’ itself, implying that removing him becomes a duty to restore dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma, he describes the marks of a predatory, leaderless ruler—one who plunders the people—and states that the subjects, once organized and armed, may bind and execute such a king as a corrective act against tyranny.