Shloka 17
Kośārtha-Rājadharma: Ethical Revenue Collection and Social Regulation (कोशार्थ-राजधर्मः)
सर्वे तथानुजीवेयुर्न कुर्यु: कर्म चेदिह । सर्व एव इमे लोका न भवेयुरसंशयम्
sarve tathānujīveyur na kuryuḥ karma ced iha | sarva eva ime lokā na bhaveyur asaṁśayam ||
Bhishma berkata: Jika manusia di sini dibenarkan hidup semata-mata dengan cara itu (bergantung pada meminta tanpa bekerja), maka tiadalah sesiapa akan melakukan perbuatan atau pekerjaan. Dalam keadaan demikian, semua dunia ini—seluruh tertib manusia—pasti tidak akan mampu bertahan.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that society cannot be sustained if people abandon productive duty and try to live without work; the continuity of the world depends on everyone undertaking appropriate karma (responsible action).
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the foundations of social stability; here he argues that a system that encourages non-workful subsistence would collapse society, so duty and labor are necessary for the world’s maintenance.