Shloka 45
यथा हि गर्भिणी हित्वा स्वं प्रियं मनसो5नुगम् । गर्भस्य हितमाधत्ते तथा राज्ञाप्पसंशयम्
yathā hi garbhiṇī hitvā svaṃ priyaṃ manaso'nugam | garbhasya hitam ādhattē tathā rājñā'pi saṃśayam ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kung paanong ang babaeng nagdadalang-tao ay isinasantabi maging ang mga pagkain at aliw na minamahal ng kanyang loob, at sa halip ay inaalala lamang ang ikabubuti ng sanggol sa kanyang sinapupunan, gayon din ang hari—nang walang pag-aatubili—ay dapat isantabi ang sariling nais at kumilos lamang para sa kapakanan ng lahat.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous king must practice self-restraint: he should renounce personal likes and pleasures when they conflict with the common good, and govern with unwavering focus on the welfare of the people.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on rajadharma (the duties of kings). Here he uses a domestic, vivid analogy—pregnancy and maternal care—to emphasize that a ruler must prioritize the dependent (subjects) over his own preferences.