Shloka 29
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
देशधर्माश्व कौन्तेय कुलधर्मास्तथैव च । पालयन् पुरुषव्याप्र राजा सर्वाश्रमी भवेत्,कुन्तीकुमार! पुरुषसिंह! देशधर्म और कुलधर्मका पालन करनेवाला राजा सभी आश्रमोंके पुण्यफलका भागी होता है
deśadharmāṃś ca kaunteya kuladharmāṃs tathaiva ca | pālayan puruṣavyāghra rājā sarvāśramī bhavet ||
قال بهيشما: «يا كاونتيّا، يا نمرَ الرجال—إذا حفظ الملكُ دارما البلاد، وكذلك دارما السلالات الشريفة، صار شريكًا في ثواب جميع الأشرمات (āśrama).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king who protects both regional customs (deśa-dharma) and lineage-based duties (kula-dharma) sustains the entire social-religious order; therefore he is said to share in the merit generated by all four āśramas.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rajadharma. Here he emphasizes that rightful kingship consists in preserving established dharmic norms of the realm and families, linking governance to the moral economy of puṇya.