Shloka 6

Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma

Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics

Devanagari script

हीनकोशं॑ हि राजानमवजानन्ति मानवा: । न चास्याल्पेन तुष्यन्ति कार्यमप्युत्सहन्ति च

Transliteration

hīna-kośaṁ hi rājānam avajānanti mānavāḥ | na cāsyālpena tuṣyanti kāryam apy utsahanti ca ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：国库匮乏之王，连凡人也会轻慢。人们从他那里得少不满足，也缺乏热忱去完成他的政令与事务。

Word by Word

• हीनकोशम्: having a deficient treasury
• हीनकोशम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीनकोश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• राजानम्: king
• राजानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अवजानन्ति: disrespect/ignore
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव√ज्ञा
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• मानवाः: people/men
• मानवाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अस्य: of him/of this (king)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अल्पेन: with a little (amount)
• अल्पेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अल्प
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• तुष्यन्ति: are satisfied
• Type: Verb
• Root: √तुष्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• कार्यम्: task/work
• कार्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अपि: even/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• उत्सहन्ति: undertake/are eager (to do)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्√सह्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• king (rājā)
• people (mānavāḥ)
• treasury (kośa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s effectiveness depends not only on personal virtue but also on material resources: without a stable treasury, public respect declines, incentives fail, and administrative work loses momentum.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises the king on practical statecraft, warning that a depleted treasury undermines both the people’s regard and their willingness to serve.