Shloka 49
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
यथा<5श्रित्य महावृक्ष॑ं कक्ष: संवर्धते महान् ततस्तं संवृणोत्येव तमतीत्य च वर्धते
bhīṣma uvāca | yathāśritya mahāvṛkṣaṃ kakṣaḥ saṃvardhate mahān | tataḥ taṃ saṃvṛṇoty eva tam atītya ca vardhate ||
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ເຫມືອນພົງເຄືອໄມ້ໃຫຍ່ອາໄສຕົ້ນໄມ້ມະຫາໃຫຍ່ແລ້ວເຕີບໃຫຍ່ຢ່າງອຸດົມ; ຕໍ່ມາມັນພັນຮອບຕົ້ນນັ້ນ ແລະເຕີບຂ້າມມັນ—ດັ່ງນັ້ນຜູ້ພຶງພາທີ່ເຕີບໃຫຍ່ດ້ວຍການອຸປະຖຳຂອງຜູ້ປົກຄອງ ອາດກັບມາກົດທັບຜູ້ປົກຄອງໄດ້. ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ລັດຖະມົນຕີຂອງເຈົ້າກໍເປັນເຫມືອນເຄືອໄມ້ນັ້ນ: ຖືກຫຼ້ຽງດ້ວຍການອຸປະຖຳຂອງເຈົ້າ ແລະບັດນີ້ກາຍເປັນເຫດແຫ່ງຄວາມພິນາດຂອງເຈົ້າ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຈົ່ງກວດກາ ແລະຊຳລະພວກເຂົາ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dependents and officials who rise through a ruler’s patronage can, if unchecked, entangle and overpower the very authority that sustained them. A king must scrutinize, discipline, and if necessary remove harmful ministers to protect the realm and uphold dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty (rājadharma), Bhishma warns a king through a vivid metaphor: creepers that grow by clinging to a great tree eventually wrap and surpass it. Likewise, the king’s ministers—strengthened by his support—have become dangerous, so Bhishma urges their purification/removal.