Shloka 34
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
अमात्यरक्षा प्रणिधी राजपुत्रस्य लक्षणम् | चारश्न विविधोपाय: प्रणिधेय: पृथग्विध:
amātya-rakṣā praṇidhī rāja-putrasya lakṣaṇam | cāraś ca vividha-upāyaḥ praṇidheyaḥ pṛthag-vidhaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Dalam ilmu tata negara, para menteri hendaklah dijaga dengan cermat (agar tidak dipatahkan atau diselewengkan oleh musuh), utuslah prāṇidhi—duta/agen yang dipercayai, ketahuilah tanda-tanda putera raja yang layak, dan gerakkan para perisik dengan pelbagai helah—melantik jenis-jenis ejen rahsia yang berlainan di tempat-tempat yang berlainan. Maka diajarkan dengan sempurna lima jalan amali kenegaraan: perdamaian (sāma), pemberian hadiah (dāna), memecah-belahkan (bheda), hukuman/kekuatan (daṇḍa), dan pengabaian yang bersiasat (upekṣā).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s stability depends on disciplined governance: protect ministers from enemy influence, deploy reliable envoys/operatives, recognize the qualities of a capable prince, and maintain a well-structured intelligence network. Policy should be applied through the five classical means—conciliation, inducement, division, punishment, and strategic non-engagement—according to context.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical kingship. Here he summarizes key topics of political science: ministerial security, appointment of agents and spies, criteria for a prince, and the systematic use of the five upāyas in administration and diplomacy.