Shanti Parva Adhyaya 89 Shloka 13 - Mahabharata | Oriya | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 13

Kośārtha-Rājadharma: Ethical Revenue Collection and Social Regulation (कोशार्थ-राजधर्मः)

Devanagari script

उपायान प्रब्रवीम्येतान्‌ न मे माया विवक्षिता | अनुपायेन दमयन्‌ प्रकोपयति वाजिन:

Transliteration

upāyān prabravīmy etān na me māyā vivakṣitā | anupāyena damayan prakopayati vājinaḥ rājān |

Translation

ରାଜନ୍, ମୁଁ ଏହି ଉପାୟଗୁଡ଼ିକ କହୁଛି; ଏଠାରେ ମୋର ଉଦ୍ଦେଶ୍ୟ ଛଳ-କପଟ ନୁହେଁ। ଯେ ଯଥୋଚିତ ଉପାୟ ବିନା ଘୋଡ଼ାକୁ ଦମନ କରିବାକୁ ଚାହେ, ସେ ତାହାକୁ କ୍ରୋଧିତ କରେ; ସେହିପରି ଅଯୋଗ୍ୟ ଉପାୟରେ ପ୍ରଜାକୁ ଦବାଇଲେ ତାଙ୍କ ହୃଦୟରେ ରୋଷ ଜାଗେ।

Word by Word

उपायान्means, methods

प्रब्रवीमिI declare, I tell

एतान्these

नnot

मेof me, my

मायाdeceit, trickery

विवक्षिताintended to be spoken, meant

अनुपायेनby improper means, without proper method

दमयन्taming, subduing

प्रकोपयतिhe provokes, enrages

वाजिनःhorses

राजन्O king

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

King (addressed as rājān)

horses (vājinaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Use appropriate, ethical means (upāya) rather than coercion or deceit (māyā). Improper methods of control do not create obedience; they generate anger and lasting resentment—especially in governance.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs the king on rajadharma. Here he prefaces his counsel by rejecting trickery and illustrates, through the example of horse-training, that wrong methods of restraint provoke the very subjects one seeks to govern.