Shloka 14

Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)

Devanagari script

अन्यो धर्म: समर्थानामापत्स्वन्यक्षु भारत । प्राकुकोशात्‌ प्राप्यते धर्मो वृत्तिर्धर्मादू गरीयसी

Transliteration

anyo dharmaḥ samarthānām āpatsu anyakṣu bhārata | prāk kośāt prāpyate dharmo vṛttir dharmād garīyasī bhārata ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，有能力者之法是一种，遭逢灾厄者之法又是一种。因此，唯有先稳固国库，国王才真正获得奉行正法（dharma）的时机；因为在迫切之际，维系生计与国政运转的手段，有时其先后可重于正法。”

Word by Word

• {'anyaḥ': 'other, different', 'dharmaḥ': 'duty

• moral law', 'samarthānām': 'of the capable/competent (persons)', 'āpatsu': 'in calamities, in times of distress', 'anyakṣu': 'different (rules) in other (conditions)

• i.e., dharma varies by circumstance', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'prāk': 'first, beforehand', 'kośāt / kośa': 'treasury

• stored resources', 'prāpyate': 'is obtained, is attained, becomes available', 'vṛttiḥ': 'livelihood

• practical sustenance', 'dharmāt': 'than dharma

• from dharma (ablative of comparison)', 'garīyasī': 'heavier, weightier, more important'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bharata (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is context-sensitive: in normal conditions the capable should follow higher standards, but in calamity (āpada) different allowances apply. For a king, securing resources (kośa) and ensuring livelihood/maintenance (vṛtti) is a prerequisite for stable dharma-governance; without sustenance and revenue, righteous administration cannot be effectively practiced.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship and ethics, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as ‘Bhārata’) about practical governance. He explains that a ruler must first ensure the treasury and the people’s maintenance, especially in crisis, because the functioning of the kingdom and survival needs condition how dharma can be applied.