Shloka 14

Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)

Devanagari script

अन्यो धर्म: समर्थानामापत्स्वन्यक्षु भारत । प्राकुकोशात्‌ प्राप्यते धर्मो वृत्तिर्धर्मादू गरीयसी,भारत! सार्म्थ्यशाली पुरुषोंका धर्म दूसरा है और आपत्तिग्रस्त मनुष्योंका दूसरा। अतः पहले कोशसंग्रह कर लेनेपर राजाके लिये धर्मपालनका अवसर प्राप्त होता है; क्योंकि जीवन-निर्वाहका साधन प्राप्त करना धर्मसे भी बड़ा है

Transliteration

anyo dharmaḥ samarthānām āpatsu anyakṣu bhārata | prāk kośāt prāpyate dharmo vṛttir dharmād garīyasī bhārata ||

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഭാരതാ! ശേഷിയുള്ളവരുടെ ധർമ്മം ഒന്നാണ്; ദുരിതബാധിതരുടെ ധർമ്മം മറ്റൊന്നാണ്. അതുകൊണ്ട് ആദ്യം ഖജനാവ് ഉറപ്പാക്കിയശേഷമേ രാജാവിന് ധർമ്മം പാലിക്കാനുള്ള അവസരം ലഭിക്കൂ; കാരണം ആപത്തുകാലത്ത് ജീവൻ നിലനിർത്താനുള്ള ഉപാധി ധർമ്മത്തേക്കാൾ പോലും ഭാരമേറിയതായി വരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• {'anyaḥ': 'other, different', 'dharmaḥ': 'duty

• moral law', 'samarthānām': 'of the capable/competent (persons)', 'āpatsu': 'in calamities, in times of distress', 'anyakṣu': 'different (rules) in other (conditions)

• i.e., dharma varies by circumstance', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'prāk': 'first, beforehand', 'kośāt / kośa': 'treasury

• stored resources', 'prāpyate': 'is obtained, is attained, becomes available', 'vṛttiḥ': 'livelihood

• practical sustenance', 'dharmāt': 'than dharma

• from dharma (ablative of comparison)', 'garīyasī': 'heavier, weightier, more important'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bharata (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is context-sensitive: in normal conditions the capable should follow higher standards, but in calamity (āpada) different allowances apply. For a king, securing resources (kośa) and ensuring livelihood/maintenance (vṛtti) is a prerequisite for stable dharma-governance; without sustenance and revenue, righteous administration cannot be effectively practiced.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship and ethics, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as ‘Bhārata’) about practical governance. He explains that a ruler must first ensure the treasury and the people’s maintenance, especially in crisis, because the functioning of the kingdom and survival needs condition how dharma can be applied.