Shloka 10
कृतंत्रेतां द्वापरं च कलिश्न भरतर्षभ । राजमूला इति मतिर्मम नास्त्यत्र संशय:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! सत्ययुग, त्रेता, द्वापर और कलियुग--इन सबका मूल कारण राजा ही है, ऐसा मेरा विचार है। इसकी सत्यतामें मुझे तनिक भी संदेह नहीं है
kṛtaṃ tretāṃ dvāparaṃ ca kaliṃ ca bharatarṣabha | rājamūlā iti matir mama nāsty atra saṃśayaḥ ||
قال بهيشما: «يا ثورَ آلِ بهاراتا، إن العصور—كِرتا، وتريتا، ودڤاپارا، وكالي—جذورها في الملك. تلك قناعتي الراسخة؛ ولا شكّ عندي في هذا الأمر.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The moral quality of an age is not merely cosmic fate; it is decisively shaped by the ruler. A king’s conduct, justice, and protection of dharma become the ‘root’ that makes society resemble Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara, or Kali.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and emphasizes the king’s central responsibility: the condition of the realm—and even the character of the age experienced by people—depends on the ruler’s policies and virtue.