Shloka 20
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
कोशक्षये त्वमित्राणां वशं कौसल्य गच्छति । उभयत्र प्रयुक्तस्य धर्मेणाधर्म एव च
kośakṣaye tv amitrāṇāṁ vaśaṁ kauśalya gacchati | ubhayatra prayuktasya dharmeṇādharm eva ca |
毗湿摩说道：“国库一旦枯竭，噢，考萨利耶，君王必然落入仇敌掌控。凡是两边都要插手的统治者——时而行于法（dharma），时而陷于非法（adharma）——其财用必定被耗尽；而当库藏空虚之时，他的自主便随之崩塌，任由敌对势力乘虚而入。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s strength rests on a well-maintained treasury; reckless conduct—whether justified as dharma or driven by adharma—can drain resources, and once the treasury is depleted the ruler loses autonomy and becomes subject to enemies.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises a Kosala ruler (addressed as Kauśalya) about practical governance: financial depletion leads directly to political vulnerability and enemy domination.