Shloka 8

Devanagari script

खनीनेत्रस्तु विक्रान्तो जित्वा राज्यमकण्टकम्‌ । नाशकद्‌ रक्षितुं राज्यं नान्वरज्यन्त तं प्रजा:,खनीनेत्र पराक्रमी होनेके कारण निष्कण्टक राज्यको जीतकर भी उसकी रक्षा न कर सका; क्योंकि प्रजाका उसमें अनुराग न था

Transliteration

khanīnetras tu vikrānto jitvā rājyam akaṇṭakam | nāśakad rakṣituṁ rājyam nānvarajyanta taṁ prajāḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Vyāsa: “Bagaman si Khanīnetra ay matapang at nasakop ang isang kahariang ‘walang tinik’—walang katunggali at walang hadlang—hindi niya napanatili ang paghahari; sapagkat hindi siya minahal ni pinagkalooban ng loob ng mga tao.”

Word by Word

खनीनेत्रःone whose eyes are like a khanī (i.e., khanī-eyed; a proper epithet/name)

तुbut/indeed

विक्रान्तःvaliant, mighty

जित्वाhaving conquered

राज्यम्kingdom

अकण्टकम्thornless; free from obstacles/enemies

नnot

अशकत्was able

रक्षितुम्to protect

राज्यम्the kingdom

नnot

अन्वरज्यन्तwere attached to / were devoted to

तम्him

प्रजाःthe subjects/people

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Khanīnetra

prajāḥ (the subjects/people)

rājya (the kingdom)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Conquest alone does not secure a kingdom; a ruler must win and sustain the subjects’ trust and affection through righteous, welfare-oriented governance. Without popular allegiance, even an uncontested realm becomes unstable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa narrates an example: the warrior-king Khanīnetra, despite successfully conquering an unobstructed kingdom, fails to maintain it because the people do not become attached or loyal to him.