Shloka 9
राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order
भूयांसं लभते क्लेशं या गौर्भवति दुर्दुहा । अथ या सुद॒ुहा राजन नैव तां वितुदन्त्यपि,राजन्! जो गाय कठिनाईसे दुही जाती है, उसे बड़े-बड़े क्लेश उठाने पड़ते हैं, परंतु जो सुगमतापूर्वक दूध दुह लेने देती है, उसे लोग पीड़ा नहीं देते हैं, आरामसे रखते हैं
bhūyāṁsaṁ labhate kleśaṁ yā gaur bhavati durduhā | atha yā suduhā rājan naiva tāṁ vitudanty api ||
भूयांसं लभते क्लेशं या गौर्भवति दुर्दुहा । अथ या सुदुहा राजन् नैव तां वितुदन्त्यपि ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that a harsh, unyielding disposition often attracts forceful treatment and greater suffering, while a gentle, accommodating disposition tends to receive kinder handling and protection—illustrated through the contrast between a hard-to-milk cow and an easy-to-milk cow.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs King Yudhishthira on dharma through practical examples. Here he uses a rural, familiar image—milking a cow—to convey how people respond differently to resistance versus cooperation, drawing an ethical lesson about conduct and its consequences.