Shloka 140
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
परतन्त्र: सदा राजा स्वल्पेष्वपि प्रसज्जते । संधिविग्रहयोगे च कुतो राज्ञ: स्वतन्त्रता
paratantraḥ sadā rājā svalpeṣv api prasajjate | sandhi-vigraha-yoge ca kuto rājñaḥ svatantratā ||
毗湿摩说道：“君王常常受制于人，却连细微之事也生执著。即便在议和或用兵这等大事上，君王的独立又从何谈起？他的统治受谋臣、盟友、敌手、资财与民间秩序所牵制；因此，纵无真正的选择自由，他仍紧攀有限的享乐与治国的重担不放。”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that political power does not equal personal freedom: a king is structurally dependent on ministers, allies, enemies, resources, and circumstances, so he should govern with restraint and realism rather than imagining absolute autonomy.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira, emphasizing the constraints of kingship—especially in decisions of peace and war—and warning against attachment to even minor pleasures or choices.