Shloka 28
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
शुचिस्तु पृथिवीपालो लोकचित्तग्रहे रत: । न पतत्यरिभिरग्र॑स्त: पतितश्षावतिष्ठते,जो भूपाल बाहर-भीतरसे शुद्ध रहकर प्रजाके हृदयको अपनानेका प्रयत्न करता है, वह शत्रुओंका आक्रमण होनेपर भी उनके वशमें नहीं पड़ता, यदि उसका पतन हुआ भी तो वह सहायकोंको पाकर शीघ्र ही उठ खड़ा होता है
śucis tu pṛthivīpālo lokacittagrahe rataḥ | na pataty aribhir agrastaḥ patitaś cāvatīṣṭhate ||
Wika ni Bhishma: Ang haring malinis sa sarili at masigasig na kamtin ang tiwala at pagmamahal ng kanyang mga nasasakupan ay hindi guguho kahit salakayin ng mga kaaway; at kahit dumanas ng pagkatalo, hindi siya mananatiling nakabagsak—sa tulong ng mga kapanalig at sa lakas ng mabuting kalooban ng bayan, mabilis siyang babangon muli.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s inner purity and sustained effort to win the people’s trust create political resilience: such a king is hard to subdue by enemies, and even after defeat he can recover through allies and popular support.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on the qualities that secure a kingdom, emphasizing moral conduct and the deliberate cultivation of the people’s goodwill as a defense stronger than force alone.