Shloka 34
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
यथा क्रमेण पुष्पेभ्यक्षिनोति मधु षघट्पद: । तथा द्रव्यमुपादाय राजा कुर्वीत संचयम्
yathā krameṇa puṣpebhyaḥ kṣinoti madhu ṣaṭpadaḥ | tathā dravyam upādāya rājā kurvīta sañcayam ||
Бхишма сказал: «Как пчела, в должном порядке, понемногу собирает мёд со многих цветов, так и царь должен, беря у всех подданных малые доли, накапливать сокровищницу».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should raise revenue moderately and gradually—like a bee collecting nectar—so that the burden on any single subject is light, while the state still forms a stable reserve for governance and protection.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on practical kingship. Here he uses the bee-and-honey simile to counsel careful, non-oppressive collection of wealth to maintain the royal treasury.