Shloka 28
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
शुचिस्तु पृथिवीपालो लोकचित्तग्रहे रत: । न पतत्यरिभिरग्र॑स्त: पतितश्षावतिष्ठते
śucis tu pṛthivīpālo lokacittagrahe rataḥ | na pataty aribhir agrastaḥ patitaś cāvatīṣṭhate ||
毗湿摩说道：国王若能自守清净，并致力于赢得民心与信任，即使敌人来犯也不致崩溃；纵然一时受挫，也不会久陷败局——凭借盟友扶持与民众的善意之力，他将很快再度振起。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s inner purity and sustained effort to win the people’s trust create political resilience: such a king is hard to subdue by enemies, and even after defeat he can recover through allies and popular support.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rāja-dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on the qualities that secure a kingdom, emphasizing moral conduct and the deliberate cultivation of the people’s goodwill as a defense stronger than force alone.