Shloka 1
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
ऑपनक्रात बछ। अर: - हाथी
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | dhārmiko 'rthān asamprāpya rājāmātyaiḥ prabādhitaḥ | cyutaḥ kośāc ca daṇḍāc ca sukham icchan kathaṃ caret ||
Tinanong ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Lolo, kung ang isang hari ay matuwid ngunit, sa kabila ng kanyang pagsisikap, hindi makamit ang yaman; at kung siya’y ginugulo at pinahihirapan ng kanyang mga ministro; at kung siya’y napagkaitan kapwa ng kabang-yaman at ng kapangyarihang magpataw (hukbo/kaparusahan), paano dapat mamuhay at kumilos ang gayong hari na naghahangad pa rin ng kapayapaan at kagalingan?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharmic dilemma in kingship: when a ruler loses wealth and coercive power and is undermined by ministers, what ethical course of conduct remains to preserve welfare and stability without abandoning righteousness.
In the Śānti Parva’s discourse on royal duty, Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma for guidance about a righteous king who has become powerless—bereft of treasury and enforcement—and is pressured by his own ministers.