Shloka 5
राष्ट्रगुप्ति-संग्रहः
Protection of the Realm and Principles of Revenue & Local Administration
सो<पि विंशत्यधिपतिर्वत्तं जानपदे जने । ग्रामाणां शतपालाय सर्वमेव निवेदयेत्
so 'pi viṁśaty-adhipatir vṛttaṁ jānapade jane | grāmāṇāṁ śata-pālāya sarvam eva nivedayet ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Demikian juga, pegawai yang memegang dua puluh kampung hendaklah mengetahui sepenuhnya keadaan urusan rakyat di daerahnya dan melaporkan segala-galanya kepada penyelia yang bertanggungjawab atas seratus kampung.” Rangkap ini menegaskan rantaian pertanggungjawaban bertingkat, agar keadaan setempat dan kesalahan diketahui, direkodkan, dan disampaikan ke atas tanpa disembunyikan—supaya pemerintahan menegakkan tertib dan keadilan, bukan bertindak sewenang-wenangnya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s administration should be structured with clear tiers of responsibility: each local officer must investigate conditions and wrongdoing in his jurisdiction and report fully to the higher authority, ensuring transparency and effective justice.
Bhishma is instructing on statecraft in the Shanti Parva, describing how reports should move upward from smaller to larger administrative units—here, from the officer of twenty villages to the officer of a hundred—so the kingdom remains informed and well-governed.