Shloka 15
Prajñā as Pratiṣṭhā — Indra–Kāśyapa Saṃvāda (Śānti-parva 12.173)
राज्ञश्न दर्शयामासु: शरीरं राजधर्मण: । कृतघ्नं परुषं तं च गौतम॑ं पापकारिणम्
rājñaś ca darśayāmāsuḥ śarīraṃ rājadharmaṇaḥ | kṛtaghnaṃ paruṣaṃ taṃ ca gautamaṃ pāpakāriṇam ||
قال بهيشما: «ثم أروْا الملكَ “جسدَ” واجبِ المُلكِ بعينه—غوتَما—وقد تبيّن أنه جاحدٌ للنعمة، فظٌّ في القول والعمل، منغمسٌ في أفعالٍ آثمة».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal duty (rājadharma) is not merely an abstract ideal; it is tested and made visible through concrete cases of wrongdoing. A king must recognize and judge traits like ingratitude (kṛtaghnatā), harshness (paruṣatā), and sinful conduct (pāpakarma) as ethical failures that threaten social order.
In Bhīṣma’s discourse, certain people present to the king an illustrative figure—Gautama—described as ungrateful, harsh, and sinful, as though he were the ‘embodiment’ of a lesson in rājadharma. The verse frames Gautama as a cautionary example for the king’s moral and judicial discernment.