Shloka 15
जनकस्य युद्धोपदेशः — Janaka’s Instruction on Steadfast Battle-Conduct
चराणामचरा ह्वान्नमदंष्टा दंष्टिणामपि । आप: पिपासतामन्नमन्नं शूरस्य कातरा:
carāṇām acarā hy annam adaṁṣṭrā daṁṣṭinām api | āpaḥ pipāsatām annam annaṁ śūrasya kātarāḥ ||
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໃນລຳດັບຂອງໂລກ ສິ່ງທີ່ເຄື່ອນໄຫວດຳລົງຊີວິດໂດຍອາໄສສິ່ງທີ່ບໍ່ເຄື່ອນໄຫວ; ຜູ້ບໍ່ມີແຂ້ວເປັນອາຫານຂອງຜູ້ມີແຂ້ວ. ສຳລັບຜູ້ຫິວນ້ຳ ນ້ຳເອງກໍເປັນ ‘ອາຫານ’; ແລະສຳລັບຜູ້ກ້າຫານແທ້ ຄົນຂີ້ຂວັນເປັນດັ່ງອາຫານ—ຜູ້ຖືກກຳຈັດແລະຖືກຊະນະ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ພະລັງ, ຄວາມຈຳເປັນ, ແລະຄວາມຢ້ານກົວ ກຳນົດລຳດັບຊັ້ນຂອງທຳມະຊາດ; ຜູ້ມີປັນຍາຄວນເຫັນແບບແຜນນີ້ເມື່ອພິຈາລະນາເລື່ອງຄວາມປະພຶດແລະອຳນາດ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a general law of the world: beings sustain themselves by consuming what is weaker or more vulnerable, and even human courage and fear create a hierarchy. Ethically, it urges clear-eyed understanding of power and dependence when judging conduct and governance.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the realities of rule and society. Here he uses vivid natural metaphors—moving vs. unmoving, toothed vs. toothless, thirsty vs. water, brave vs. coward—to illustrate how dominance and need operate in the world.