Shloka 14
Chapter 81: Trust, Allies, and the Qualifications of the King’s Artha-Secretary (अर्थसचिव)
यस्य क्षेत्रादप्युदकं क्षेत्रमन््यस्य गच्छति । न तत्रानिच्छतस्तस्य भियद्येरन् सर्वसेतव:
yasya kṣetrād apy udakaṃ kṣetram anyasya gacchati | na tatra anicchatas tasya bhidyeyuḥ sarva-setavaḥ ||
ਜਿਸ ਦੇ ਖੇਤ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਵਹਿੰਦਾ ਪਾਣੀ ਦੂਜੇ ਦੇ ਖੇਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਚਲਾ ਜਾਵੇ, ਉੱਥੇ—ਭਾਵੇਂ ਦੂਜੇ ਨੂੰ ਲਾਭ ਹੀ ਕਿਉਂ ਨ ਹੋਵੇ—ਮਾਲਕ ਦੀ ਇੱਛਾ ਦੇ ਵਿਰੁੱਧ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਮੇੜ ਅਤੇ ਹੱਦ-ਬੰਨ੍ਹ ਤੋੜਣੇ ਜਾਂ ਕੱਟਣੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਚਾਹੀਦੇ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when water naturally flows between neighboring fields, one must not violate another person’s consent by breaching their boundary-bunds; dharma protects property and prevents conflict through restraint.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma and social regulation, Bhīṣma lays down a practical rule for rural life: managing irrigation and runoff without forcibly damaging another’s embankments.