Shloka 18
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
कोशस्योपार्जनरतिर्यमवैश्रवणोपम: । वेत्ता च दशवर्गस्य स्थानवृद्धिक्षयात्मन:,राजाको उचित है कि वह सदा अपने कोषागारको भरा-पूरा रखनेका प्रयत्न करता रहे, उसे न्याय करनेमें यमराज और धन-संग्रह करनेमें कुबेरके समान होना चाहिये। वह स्थान, वृद्धि तथा क्षयके हेतुभूत दस- वर्गोंका सदा ज्ञान रखे
bhīṣma uvāca | kośasyopārjanaratir yama-vaiśravaṇopamaḥ | vettā ca daśa-vargasya sthāna-vṛddhi-kṣayātmanaḥ ||
Disse Bhishma: O rei deve estar sempre empenhado em adquirir e manter o tesouro cheio—sendo como Yama na administração da justiça e como Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera) na acumulação de riquezas. Deve também conhecer o conjunto de dez fatores que regem a correta disposição do reino, o seu crescimento e o seu declínio.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must balance two royal obligations: impartial justice (modeled on Yama) and prudent wealth-management and revenue-building (modeled on Kubera), while also mastering the key analytical categories that explain a kingdom’s stability, growth, and decline.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical kingship—emphasizing the treasury as the backbone of governance, the necessity of strict fairness in punishment and adjudication, and systematic knowledge of the factors that affect the state’s fortunes.