Shloka 15

मयूरवद्राजधर्मः (Mayūra-vat Rāja-dharma) — The Peacock-Model of Protective Kingship

Devanagari script

बाणवद्धिसृता यान्ति स्वामिकार्यपरा नरा: । ये भृत्या: पार्थिवहितास्तेषां सान्त्वं प्रयोजयेत्‌

Transliteration

bāṇavaddhi sṛtā yānti svāmikāryaparā narāḥ | ye bhṛtyāḥ pārthivahitās teṣāṃ sāntvaṃ prayojayet ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Những người một lòng vì công việc của chủ sẽ lao tới để đạt mục tiêu như mũi tên rời dây cung. Bởi vậy, khi bề tôi tận tụy vì lợi ích của nhà vua, bậc quân vương phải luôn dùng lời lẽ hòa nhã, ngọt lành mà khích lệ, để nhiệt tâm và trung nghĩa của họ được bền chặt.”

Word by Word

• {'bāṇavat': 'like an arrow', 'hi': 'indeed, surely', 'sṛtāḥ': 'released, let go (from a bow)', 'yānti': 'go, proceed', 'svāmi-kārya-parāḥ': 'devoted to the master’s business/duty', 'narāḥ': 'men, persons', 'ye': 'who, those who', 'bhṛtyāḥ': 'servants, retainers', 'pārthiva-hita': 'the king’s welfare

• beneficial to the ruler/state', 'teṣām': 'of them', 'sāntvam': 'conciliation, gentle encouragement, reassuring speech', 'prayojayet': 'should employ, should apply'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• svāmi (master/lord)
• pārthiva (king)
• bāṇa (arrow)
• dhanus (bow, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should recognize and nurture loyal, welfare-minded service: servants devoted to the king’s work act with the focused momentum of an arrow, and the king should sustain such dedication through gentle encouragement and reassuring speech (sāntva).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance (rāja-dharma), Bhishma advises the king on managing retainers: those committed to the ruler’s tasks advance decisively toward success, and the king should keep them motivated by speaking kindly and supportively.