Shloka 60
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
यथा स्यात् सुधृतो दण्डो यथा च सुकृतं कृतम् । तथा समीक्ष्य भगवन् श्रेयसे विनियुड्धक्ष्य माम्,भगवन्! जिस तरह राजदण्डको मैं अच्छी तरह धारण कर सकूँ और मेरे द्वारा अच्छे ही कार्य होते रहें, वह सब सोचकर आप मुझे कल्याणके मार्गपर लगाइये
yathā syāt sudhṛto daṇḍo yathā ca sukṛtaṁ kṛtam | tathā samīkṣya bhagavan śreyase viniyujjhakṣya mām, bhagavan |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Tuhan Yang Mulia, pertimbangkanlah bagaimana tongkat hukuman diraja dapat ditegakkan dengan kukuh dan benar, dan bagaimana amal kebajikan dapat benar-benar terlaksana melalui diriku. Setelah menimbangnya, tuntunlah aku ke jalan yang membawa kepada kesejahteraan tertinggi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power (daṇḍa) must be held steadily and used rightly, and governance should aim at producing genuine good actions; therefore one should seek wise guidance to be directed toward śreyas—true welfare rather than mere expediency.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and statecraft, Bhishma addresses a revered authority (bhagavan), requesting counsel so that he may uphold royal discipline properly and act in ways that lead to the highest good.