Mahabharata 1.140.2 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 140, Shloka 2
Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)
तत आहूय मन्त्रज्ञ राजशाल्त्रार्थवित्तमम् कणिकं मन्त्रिणां श्रेष्ठ धृतराष्ट्रो डब्रवीदू वच:
tata āhūya mantrajñaṁ rājaśāstrārthavittamam | kaṇikaṁ mantriṇāṁ śreṣṭhaṁ dhṛtarāṣṭro ’bravīd vacaḥ ||
Kemudian Dhṛtarāṣṭra memanggil Kaṇika—yang terkemuka antara para menterinya, mahir dalam musyawarah, serta sangat berilmu tentang ilmu kenegaraan dan ekonomi politik—lalu bertitah kepadanya dengan kata-kata ini. Adegan ini menampilkan seorang raja yang mencari pedoman melalui dasar dan strategi, sambil membayangkan ketegangan etika antara tadbir urus yang bijaksana dan nasihat yang berkepentingan diri.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s decisions are shaped by the quality and intent of counsel: expertise in rājaśāstra and artha can guide governance, but it also raises an ethical question—whether policy is pursued for dharma and public good or for narrow advantage.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that King Dhṛtarāṣṭra calls his leading minister Kaṇika, renowned for strategic counsel and knowledge of polity and wealth-management, and begins to speak—setting up a consultation scene that will influence subsequent actions.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.