Shloka 9
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
नित्यमुद्यतदण्ड: स्यादाचरेदप्रमादत: । लोके चायव्ययौ दृष्टवा बृहद्वृक्षमिवास्रवत्
nityam udyatadaṇḍaḥ syād ācaret apramādataḥ | loke cāyavyayau dṛṣṭvā bṛhadvṛkṣam ivāsravat ||
毗湿摩说：“国王应当常备刑杖，凡事行之以不懈的谨慎。察看民众的收入与支出，当如从大树取汁一般取其赋税——取其应取而不毁其本，绝不可使臣民走向败亡。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must combine firm law-enforcement with careful, non-exploitative administration: be ever ready to punish wrongdoing, act without negligence, and collect revenue in a sustainable way that does not harm or uproot the subjects who are the kingdom’s source of prosperity.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship (rājadharma), Bhishma continues advising the king on practical governance—maintaining readiness to punish offenders, exercising constant vigilance, and managing taxation by assessing the people’s finances and extracting revenue gently, like drawing sap from a tree without cutting it down.