Shloka 2
मयूरवद्राजधर्मः (Mayūra-vat Rāja-dharma) — The Peacock-Model of Protective Kingship
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! इस प्रकार जो राजा गुणवान् भृत्योंको अपने-अपने स्थानपर रखते हुए कार्योमें लगाता है, वह राज्यके यथार्थ फलका भागी होता है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca— yudhiṣṭhira! evaṃ yo rājā guṇavān bhṛtyān sva-sva-sthāneṣu sthāpayitvā kāryeṣu niyojayati, sa rājya-sya yathārtha-phalasya bhāgī bhavati. na ca svaṃ sthānam utkramya pramāṇam abhisatkṛtaḥ; āropyaḥ tvāṃ svakāt sthānād utkramyānyat pramādyati.
毗湿摩说道：“尤提施提罗啊，君王若自身具德，又使臣仆各安其位、各尽其职，令人人从其所当为，则确能得享王权应得之果。因为不可将人抬举过其本分：一旦逾越其位，便不再可靠，也不配受敬。古老的故事已明白昭示——若把狗从它的地方抱起，令它攀上高处，它便会疏忽放纵、难以信任。同样，出身卑微之人若被授以超出其才力与社会尺度的高位，往往因傲慢而放肆无度。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should assign people to roles suited to their capacity and proper measure; elevating someone beyond fitness can lead to negligence, loss of trust, and disorder, thereby undermining the true fruits of kingship.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on administration: he stresses proper placement of retainers and illustrates the point with an old example about a dog becoming unreliable when lifted above its place.