Shloka 42
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
गहनं भवतो राज्यमन्धकारं तमो<न्वितम् । नेह विश्वसिंतु शक््यं भवतापि कुतो मया
gahanaṁ bhavato rājyam andhakāraṁ tamo'nvitam | neha viśvasiṁtu śakyaṁ bhavatāpi kuto mayā ||
毗湿摩说道：“你的国度如同幽暗深密的丛莽，阴霾重重。在这般境况下，连你自己都无法信任此邦；我又怎能信任？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s legitimacy depends on clarity, justice, and moral order. When governance is clouded by ‘darkness’—confusion, suffering, and unethical conduct—trust collapses, and even the ruler cannot credibly rely on the system, much less others.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and statecraft, Bhishma addresses a king and characterizes his kingdom as engulfed in darkness, implying misrule or moral disorder. He uses this to justify his inability to place confidence in the kingdom’s condition or direction.