Shloka 25

राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः

Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration

Devanagari script

बाहां जन॑ भेदयित्वा भोक्तव्यो मध्यम: सुखम्‌ । एवं नास्य प्रकुप्यन्ति जना: सुखितदु:खिता:

Transliteration

bāhāṃ janaṃ bhedayitvā bhoktavyo madhyamaḥ sukham | evaṃ nāsya prakupyanti janāḥ sukhita-duḥkhitāḥ ||

Translation

ភីष្មៈបានមានព្រះបន្ទូលថា៖ ដោយបង្កើតការបែងចែកក្នុងចំណោមពួក “បាហា” (ក្រុមព្រៃផ្សៃលួចប្លន់) ព្រះមហាក្សត្រគួរទទួល “សុខមធ្យម” គឺយកពន្ធឬចំណូលពីប្រជាជនជនបទថ្នាក់មធ្យម ដោយវិធានការមានមាត្រដ្ឋាន មិនបង្ខិតបង្ខំឲ្យពួកគេរងទុក្ខ។ បើព្រះអង្គយកសម្រាប់ប្រយោជន៍នៃរដ្ឋដោយគោលនយោបាយដូច្នេះ នោះទាំងអ្នកសុខស្រួល និងអ្នកលំបាក ក៏មិនខឹងក្រហាយចំពោះព្រះអង្គឡើយ។

Word by Word

• {'bāhāḥ (bāhān janaḥ)': 'a term used for wild/outlaw-like people

• predatory forest-dwellers or bandit groups (as glossed in the Hindi note: ‘jangalī luṭere’)', 'janaṃ': 'people, populace', 'bhedayitvā': 'having caused division

• by splitting into factions (political strategy to neutralize threats)', 'bhoktavyaḥ': 'should be ‘enjoyed/used’

• in royal-policy context: should be drawn upon/collected from (as revenue or service)', 'madhyamaḥ': 'the middle (class/section)

• moderate group', 'sukham': 'comfortably

• with ease (i.e., without oppressive exaction)', 'evaṃ': 'thus

• in this way', 'na': 'not', 'asya': 'of him (the king)', 'prakupyanti': 'become angry

• flare up in wrath', 'sukhita-duḥkhitāḥ': 'both the happy/prosperous and the unhappy/distressed'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• the king (rājā)
• bāhāḥ (outlaw/bandit groups)
• madhyamaḥ janaḥ (middle rural populace)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king should protect the realm by neutralizing predatory groups through strategic division, and he should collect resources from the ordinary middle rural populace in a measured, non-oppressive way for the public good—so that neither the prosperous nor the distressed turn against him.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on rāja-dharma in the Śānti Parva, he advises Yudhiṣṭhira on practical governance: handle dangerous outlaw elements by breaking their unity, and levy revenue from villagers moderately for the benefit of the state, thereby maintaining broad public consent.