Shloka 12
मयूरवद्राजधर्मः (Mayūra-vat Rāja-dharma) — The Peacock-Model of Protective Kingship
यस्तु सिंह: श्वभि: कीर्ण: सिंहकर्मफले रत: । नस सिंहफल भोक्तुं शक्त: श्वभिरुपासित:
yastu siṁhaḥ śvabhiḥ kīrṇaḥ siṁha-karma-phale rataḥ | na sa siṁha-phalaṁ bhoktuṁ śaktāḥ śvabhir upāsitaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“纵然是狮子，若被群犬环伺，却仍恋慕狮子应行之业与应得之果，也终不能真正享受‘狮子之分’；因为受犬侍奉而被牵制，其正当果报便被阻隔而减损。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right action and noble intent may fail to yield their proper reward if one is surrounded by unworthy companions or dependents; association and the quality of one’s support can obstruct the fruition of dharma.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira through moral analogies. Here he uses the image of a lion encircled by dogs to show how a noble person’s rightful ‘lion’s share’ can be prevented when he is hemmed in and attended by base company.