Shloka 50
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
तेनैवोग्रेन्धनेनैनं दावो दहति दारुण: । तथोपमा ह्ामात्यास्ते राज॑ंस्तान्ू परिशोधय
tenaivogrendhanenainaṁ dāvo dahati dāruṇaḥ | tathopamā hy amātyās te rājan tān pariśodhaya ||
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂດຍເຊື້ອໄຟອັນຮຸນແຮງນັ້ນເອງ, ໄຟປ່າອັນນ່າສະພຶງກົວຈຶ່ງເຜົາໄດ້ແມ່ນແຕ່ຕົ້ນໄມ້ໃຫຍ່ນີ້. ດັ່ງນັ້ນເຊັ່ນກັນ, ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ລັດຖະມົນຕີຂອງເຈົ້າກາຍເປັນເຫມືອນເຄືອໄມ້ແຫ້ງນັ້ນ—ຖືກຫຼ້ຽງດ້ວຍການອຸປະຖຳຂອງເຈົ້າ, ເຕີບໃຫຍ່ຈົນກົດທັບເຈົ້າໄດ້, ແລ້ວກາຍເປັນເຊື້ອໄຟແຫ່ງຄວາມພິນາດຂອງເຈົ້າ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຈົ່ງຊຳລະການປົກຄອງ: ກວດກາ, ແກ້ໄຂ, ແລະຖອນຂ້າລາຊການທຸຈຣິດອອກ ກ່ອນທີ່ພວກເຂົາຈະເຜົາອານາຈັກຈາກພາຍໃນ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must actively scrutinize and cleanse the administration. Officials who rise under royal patronage can become instruments of the king’s own destruction if left unchecked; therefore, corruption must be investigated and removed early.
Bhīṣma is instructing a king in righteous governance. Using the image of a great tree burned by a forest-fire fed by dried creepers that once grew upon it, he warns that the king’s own ministers—grown powerful under his shelter—may now endanger him and the realm, so they must be ‘purified’ through corrective action.