Shloka 12

Devanagari script

मर्दनं परराष्ट्राणां शिष्टार्थ सत्यविक्रम । कुर्वतः पुरुषव्याप्र वन्याश्रमपदं भवेत्‌,सत्यपराक्रमी पुरुषसिंह युधिष्ठिर! शिष्टपुरुषोंकी रक्षाके लिये अपने शत्रुके राष्ट्रोंको कुचल डालनेवाले राजाको भी वानप्रस्थ-सेवनका फल प्राप्त होता है

Transliteration

mardanaṁ pararāṣṭrāṇāṁ śiṣṭārtha satyavikrama | kurvataḥ puruṣavyāghra vanyāśramapadaṁ bhavet || satyaparākrāmī puruṣasiṁha yudhiṣṭhira | śiṣṭapuruṣāṇāṁ rakṣārthaṁ śatrurāṣṭrāṇi mardayan rājāpi vānaprasthasevanaphalaṁ prāpnoti ||

Translation

ভীষ্ম ক’লে—হে সত্যবিক্ৰম, পুৰুষসিংহ যুধিষ্ঠিৰ! শিষ্টজনৰ ৰক্ষাৰ্থে যি ৰজা শত্রুৰাষ্ট্ৰসমূহ মর্দন কৰে, সিও বনপ্ৰস্থ-আশ্ৰমৰ ফল লাভ কৰে।

Word by Word

मर्दनम्crushing, subduing

पर-राष्ट्राणाम्of enemy kingdoms

शिष्ट-अर्थम्for the sake of the righteous/discipled (good people)

सत्य-विक्रमO true-in-valour

कुर्वतःof (one) doing

पुरुष-व्याघ्रO tiger among men

वन्य-आश्रम-पदम्the state/fruit of the forest-āśrama (vānaprastha)

भवेत्would be / may accrue

सत्य-पराक्रमीO truly valorous

पुरुष-सिंहO lion among men

युधिष्ठिरO Yudhiṣṭhira

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yudhiṣṭhira

rājā (king)

pararāṣṭra/śatrurāṣṭra (enemy kingdoms)

śiṣṭapuruṣa (the righteous/cultured people)

vānaprastha (forest-dweller āśrama)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king’s use of force becomes dharmic when it is disciplined and aimed at protecting the righteous (śiṣṭas) and restraining hostile powers; such protective rulership can yield merit comparable to ascetic practice (vānaprastha).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and explains that even acts of conquest—when undertaken to safeguard the good and uphold order—can be spiritually meritorious, not merely political.