Shloka 35

मृदु-तीक्ष्ण-नीति तथा दुष्टलक्षण-विज्ञानम्

Measured Policy and the Recognition of Malicious Disposition

Devanagari script

यथा वप्रे वेगवति सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके । नित्यं विवरणाद्‌ बाधस्तथा राज्यं प्रमाद्यतः

Transliteration

yathā vapre vegavati sarvataḥ samplutodake | nityaṁ vivaraṇād bādhas tathā rājyaṁ pramādyataḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩曰：譬如激流奔涌，水漫四方，河岸常有崩裂塌陷之患；如是，君主若怠惰疏忽，其国亦恒处覆亡之危。

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• वप्रे: on/at the embankment (bank)
• वप्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वप्र
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• वेगवति: when (the water) is swift/impetuous
• वेगवति: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेगवत्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सर्वतः: on all sides
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वतः

• सम्प्लुत: flooded, inundated
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + प्लु
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• उदके: in water
• उदके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदक
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नित्यम्: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य

• विवरणात्: from a breach/cleft (gap)
• विवरणात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवरण
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• बाधः: danger, harm, obstruction
• बाधः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: so, likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• राज्यम्: kingdom, rule
• राज्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• प्रमाद्यतः: from (the king) being negligent; due to negligence
• प्रमाद्यतः: Apadana
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + मद्
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• king (implied)
• kingdom
• riverbank/embankment
• flooding water/current

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler must remain continually alert; negligence (pramāda) creates small breaches that quickly become irreversible collapse, just as a flood breaks a weakened embankment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma advises the king through a vivid simile: the state is like a riverbank under flood—only constant watchfulness and maintenance prevent ruin.