Shloka 11
Adhyāya 90 — Protection of Livelihoods, Brahmanical Subsistence Norms, and Royal Oversight (राष्ट्रवृत्ति-राष्ट्रगुप्ति-उपदेशः)
सदैव राज्ञा योद्धव्यं सर्वलोकाद् युधिष्िर । तस्माद्धेतोहि युज्जीत मनुष्यानेव मानव:
sadaiva rājñā yoddhavyaṃ sarvalokād yudhiṣṭhira | tasmād heto hi yujjīta manuṣyān eva mānavaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, demi kesejahteraan seluruh rakyat, seorang raja hendaklah sentiasa bersedia untuk berperang. Maka atas sebab itu, pemerintah—yang terunggul antara manusia—wajar menggunakan agen manusia (perisik) untuk mengetahui gerak-geri dan niat musuh.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma is the protection of all people; this requires constant readiness for conflict when necessary and the prudent use of intelligence (spies) to understand enemy intentions, so that war is undertaken responsibly and effectively.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on rājadharma, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on practical governance: the ruler must remain prepared to defend the realm and should deploy human agents to monitor adversaries and anticipate threats.