Shloka 34
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
अगूढविभवा यस्य पौरा राष्ट्रनिवासिन: । नयापनयतवेत्तार: स राजा राजसत्तम:
agūḍha-vibhavā yasya paurā rāṣṭra-nivāsinaḥ | nayāpanayata-vettāraḥ sa rājā rājasattamaḥ ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—ज्याच्या राज्यात नगरवासी व ग्रामीण आपले धन लपवून ठेवत नाहीत आणि जे नीति-अनीतीचा भेद जाणतात, तो राजा राजांमध्ये श्रेष्ठ होय।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest king is one who ensures public security and cultivates moral-political discernment: subjects need not conceal wealth out of fear, and they can distinguish proper governance (naya) from misrule (apanaya).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma defines a hallmark of excellent rule by describing the condition of the people under a truly superior king—safe, prosperous, and ethically aware.