Shloka 1
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
अत---#क्र+ त्रिशर्दाधिकशततमो<्ध्याय: आप त्तिके समय राजाका धर्म युधिछिर उवाच मित्रै: प्रहीयमाणस्य बह्नमित्रस्य का गति: । राज्ञ: संक्षीणकोशस्य बलहीनस्य भारत
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: mitraiḥ prahīyamāṇasya bahu-mitrasya kā gatiḥ | rājñaḥ saṃkṣīṇa-kośasya bala-hīnasya bhārata ||
Yudhiṣṭhira nói: “Hỡi Bhārata, trong lúc tai biến, một vị vua từng có nhiều đồng minh mà nay bị bạn bè bỏ rơi, kho tàng cạn kiệt, binh lực suy tàn—thì còn con đường nào cho ông ta? Lối nào mới thật sự có lợi cho một bậc quân vương như thế?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an Āpaddharma problem in rājadharma: when a ruler loses allies, wealth, and military power, dharma must guide the choice of refuge and strategy. It invites a discussion on ethically permissible options in political collapse—seeking protection, diplomacy, restraint, or other lawful means—rather than reckless violence.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma on governance and dharma after the war. Here he asks, in the context of calamity, what beneficial course is available to a king who is deserted by allies and has lost both treasury and army.