Shloka 42
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
प्रवृद्धानां च वृक्षाणां शाखां प्रच्छेदयेत् तथा । चैत्यानां सर्वथा त्याज्यमपि पत्रस्य पातनम्
pravṛddhānāṃ ca vṛkṣāṇāṃ śākhāṃ pracchedayet tathā | caityānāṃ sarvathā tyājyam api patrasya pātanam ||
جو درخت حد سے زیادہ بڑھ کر پھیل گئے ہوں، ضرورت کے مطابق اُن کی شاخیں کٹوائی جا سکتی ہیں؛ مگر چَیتیہ (مقدّس مقام) سے وابستہ درختوں کی ہر طرح حفاظت کی جائے—ایک پتا بھی گرنے نہ پائے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Practical governance must be guided by reverence: ordinary overgrown trees may be pruned for order and safety, but anything tied to a sacred site (caitya) deserves special protection—so much so that even minor harm like dropping a leaf should be avoided.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct in rule and society. Here he gives a concrete rule about managing trees: permit necessary pruning of common trees, while strictly safeguarding shrine-associated trees.