Mahabharata 1.140.68 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 140, Shloka 68
Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)
सुपुष्पित: स्थादफल: फलवान् स्याद् दुरारुह: । आम: स्यात् पक््वसंकाशो न च जीर्येत कहिचित्
supuṣpitaḥ sthād aphalaḥ phalavān syād durāruhaḥ | āmaḥ syāt pakvasaṅkāśo na ca jīryet kadācit ||
Kaṇika berkata: “Biarlah raja seperti pohon yang sarat berbunga namun tidak berbuah—menjanjikan manfaat dengan kata-kata tetapi tidak benar-benar memberikannya. Sekalipun berbuah, biarlah ia sukar dipanjat—agar para pencari keuntungan terhalang atau tertangguh. Biarlah ia masih mentah namun tampak masak—supaya harapan orang yang mementingkan diri tidak benar-benar tertunai. Dan biarlah ia tidak pernah layu—yakni, jangan sampai raja memiskinkan dirinya dengan membelanjakan hartanya sendiri untuk menyuburkan musuh.”
कणिक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kaṇika advocates a hard, calculating model of kingship: appear generous and promising, but remain difficult to access and avoid actually granting benefits that empower rivals; preserve one’s own resources and do not weaken oneself by sustaining enemies.
In the Ādi Parva, Kaṇika is delivering counsel on statecraft (nīti) to a ruler, using the metaphor of a tree to describe how a king should manage expectations, access, and resources in dealings with self-interested people and potential enemies.
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