Shloka 142
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
यदा ह्ाज्ञापयत्यन्यांस्तत्रास्योक्ता स्वतन्त्रता । अवश:ः कार्य ते तत्र तस्मिंस्तस्मिन् क्षणे स्थित:
yadā hy ājñāpayaty anyāṁs tatrāsyoktā svatantratā | avaśaḥ kāryate tatra tasmiṁs tasmin kṣaṇe sthitaḥ ||
毗湿摩说：“当国王向他人发号施令时，人们便说他的自主在那一举动中昭然可见。然而即便如此——一刻复一刻——纵然端坐王座之上，他也可能被进谏的群臣所迫，不得不违背自己的心意行事。”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal authority is not absolute: a king may appear independent when commanding others, but in practice his decisions can be constrained by advisers and political pressures, so true agency in governance is complex and contingent.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and governance in the Shanti Parva, he reflects on the realities of rule: even a throne-seated king can be driven, at different moments, to act contrary to his own preference due to ministerial counsel.