Shloka 50
राजवृत्त-रक्षा-प्रणिधि-षाड्गुण्योपदेशः
Royal Conduct, Protection, Intelligence, and Policy Measures
कुर्यात् कृष्णगति: शेषं ज्वलितोडनिलसारथि: । न तु राजाभिपन्नस्य शेषं क्वचन विद्यते
kuryāt kṛṣṇagatiḥ śeṣaṃ jvalito 'nilasārathiḥ | na tu rājābhipannasya śeṣaṃ kvacana vidyate ||
Vasumanā berkata: “Api yang dipacu angin mungkin masih meninggalkan sedikit sisa setelah membakar; tetapi bagi orang yang telah jatuh di bawah kuasa raja, tiada baki—tiada simpanan, tiada tempat berlindung—di mana-mana. Begitulah daya menghanguskan kewibawaan diraja apabila ia berpaling menentang seseorang.”
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that royal power, when it seizes a person, can be more inescapable than even a natural calamity: fire may leave remnants, but a person crushed by the king’s authority may find no refuge. Ethically, it underscores the need for kings to wield power with restraint and justice, since their reach can annihilate a subject’s security.
In the Shanti Parva’s discussions on governance and conduct, Vasumanā uses a vivid metaphor—fire driven by wind—to illustrate the overwhelming and often unavoidable consequences of falling under a king’s adverse attention, emphasizing the gravity of royal decisions within teachings on राजधर्म (the duties and limits of kings).