Shloka 109
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
नित्योद्धिग्ना: प्रजा यस्य करभारप्रपीडिता: । अनर्थवविप्रलुप्पन्ते स गच्छति पराभवम्
nityoddhignāḥ prajā yasya karabhāra-prapīḍitāḥ | anarthavavipraluppante sa gacchati parābhavam ||
Brahmadatta berkata: Pemerintah yang rakyatnya sentiasa gelisah, dihimpit beban cukai, dan hartanya dibazirkan pada tujuan yang sia-sia—dia pasti menuju kehancuran.
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s stability depends on the well-being of his subjects: if people are kept in constant fear and crushed by excessive taxation, and resources are wasted on harmful or pointless pursuits, the ruler’s power and legitimacy erode, leading to inevitable downfall.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on राजधर्म (the duties of kings), Brahmadatta articulates a warning about misrule: oppressive revenue extraction and mismanagement of wealth create perpetual public distress, which becomes the direct cause of a ruler’s defeat and collapse.