Shloka 9
राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order
भूयांसं लभते क्लेशं या गौर्भवति दुर्दुहा । अथ या सुद॒ुहा राजन नैव तां वितुदन्त्यपि,राजन्! जो गाय कठिनाईसे दुही जाती है, उसे बड़े-बड़े क्लेश उठाने पड़ते हैं, परंतु जो सुगमतापूर्वक दूध दुह लेने देती है, उसे लोग पीड़ा नहीं देते हैं, आरामसे रखते हैं
bhūyāṁsaṁ labhate kleśaṁ yā gaur bhavati durduhā | atha yā suduhā rājan naiva tāṁ vitudanty api ||
Bhishma nói: “Con bò khó vắt sữa phải chịu khổ nhiều hơn, vì người ta ép và hành hạ nó để lấy sữa. Còn con bò cho sữa dễ dàng, hỡi Đại vương, thì không bị chọc thúc hay làm đau; nó được giữ trong yên ổn.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that a harsh, unyielding disposition often attracts forceful treatment and greater suffering, while a gentle, accommodating disposition tends to receive kinder handling and protection—illustrated through the contrast between a hard-to-milk cow and an easy-to-milk cow.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs King Yudhishthira on dharma through practical examples. Here he uses a rural, familiar image—milking a cow—to convey how people respond differently to resistance versus cooperation, drawing an ethical lesson about conduct and its consequences.