Shloka 153
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
डन्द्वैस्तैस्तैस्त्वपहत: सर्वतः परिशड्कित: । बहुप्रत्यर्थिकं राज्यमुपास्ते गणयन्निशा:,वह नाना प्रकारके द्वन्द्*ोंस आहत और सब ओरसे शंकित हो रातें गिनता हुआ अनेक शत्रुओंसे भरे हुए राज्यका सेवन करता है
Dvandvaiḥ tais tais tv apahataḥ sarvataḥ pariśaṅkitaḥ | bahu-pratyarthikaṁ rājyam upāste gaṇayann niśāḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: Atingido repetidas vezes por conflitos variados e cercado de suspeitas por todos os lados, um rei apenas ‘goza’ do seu reino no nome—contando as noites que passam—enquanto governa um domínio apinhado de muitos adversários. O verso ressalta o custo ético do poder obtido ou mantido em meio à hostilidade: soberania sem confiança torna-se um fardo que consome a paz da mente.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rule sustained amid constant rivalry and suspicion destroys inner peace; a kingdom surrounded by adversaries becomes a source of fear rather than fulfillment. Rajadharma therefore requires securing trust, reducing enmity, and governing in a way that does not multiply opponents.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on राजधर्म (the duties of kings), Bhīṣma describes the psychological state of a ruler who is continually battered by conflicts and distrust. Such a king spends sleepless nights, merely ‘counting’ them, while trying to manage a realm contested by many enemies.