Shloka 41
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
उद्यानेषु विहारेषु प्रपास्वावसथेषु च । पानागारे प्रवेशेषु तीर्थेषु च सभासु च
udyāneṣu vihāreṣu prapāsv āvasatheṣu ca | pānāgāre praveśeṣu tīrtheṣu ca sabhāsu ca ||
Bhīṣma disse: «Que os agentes secretos circulem por jardins e lugares de recreio, por estações públicas de água e casas de repouso, por tabernas, pelas entradas da cidade, pelos vaus sagrados (tīrtha) e pelos salões de assembleia.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should maintain informed oversight of society through discreet intelligence in common public spaces—places where news, grievances, and conspiracies naturally surface—so governance can protect dharma and public safety without overt coercion.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the ruler on practical administration. Here he lists the kinds of public locations where secret agents should circulate to observe, listen, and report.