Shloka 30
दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity
Rājadharma
अन्य: कार्य: स्वराष्ट्रेषु परराष्ट्रेषु चापर: । अटवीषु पर: कार्य: सामन्तनगरेष्वपि
anyaḥ kāryaḥ svarāṣṭreṣu pararāṣṭreṣu cāparaḥ | aṭavīṣu paraḥ kāryaḥ sāmantanagareṣv api ||
Bhishma berkata: “Di dalam kerajaan sendiri, satu jenis orang hendaklah digunakan; di dalam kerajaan orang lain, jenis yang berbeza. Seorang lagi hendaklah ditugaskan bagi rimba, dan demikian juga bagi kota-kota raja bawahan. Raja patut menyimpan, dalam setiap lingkungan ini, seorang pertapa yang berlainan sebagai sahabat kepercayaan—agar nasihat, maklumat, dan pengaruh dharma tersedia di mana-mana tanpa menimbulkan syak.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should maintain a network of trustworthy, context-appropriate confidants/agents across different zones—home territory, foreign lands, forests, and feudatory towns—so governance remains informed and stable. The verse highlights prudent administration while implying ethical restraint: using respected ascetics as ‘friends’ can provide counsel and discreet information without overt coercion.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on practical governance. Here he outlines how a king should arrange different kinds of operatives in different regions, including keeping distinct ascetics as trusted contacts in each sphere.