Shloka 41
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
उद्यानेषु विहारेषु प्रपास्वावसथेषु च । पानागारे प्रवेशेषु तीर्थेषु च सभासु च
udyāneṣu vihāreṣu prapāsv āvasatheṣu ca | pānāgāre praveśeṣu tīrtheṣu ca sabhāsu ca ||
毗湿摩说道：“当令密探出没于园林与游乐之地，公共汲水处与旅舍，酒肆之中，城门入口，圣洁渡口（tīrtha），以及议事会堂。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should maintain informed oversight of society through discreet intelligence in common public spaces—places where news, grievances, and conspiracies naturally surface—so governance can protect dharma and public safety without overt coercion.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the ruler on practical administration. Here he lists the kinds of public locations where secret agents should circulate to observe, listen, and report.