Shloka 102
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
दण्डनीतिं पुरस्कृत्य विजाननू क्षत्रिय: सदा । अनवाप्तं च लिप्सेत लब्धं च परिपालयेत्
daṇḍanītiṃ puraskṛtya vijānannū kṣatriyaḥ sadā | anavāptaṃ ca lipseta labdhaṃ ca paripālayet ||
দণ্ডনীতিকে অগ্রে রেখে ক্ষত্রিয় সর্বদা বিবেচনাপূর্বক আচরণ করবে। যা এখনও অপ্রাপ্ত, তা লাভের চেষ্টা করবে এবং যা লাভ হয়েছে, তা রক্ষা ও সংরক্ষণ করবে।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should make daṇḍanīti (just governance and enforcement) his guiding framework, combining clear judgment with two duties: to pursue what is necessary but not yet secured, and to safeguard what has already been achieved.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma. Here he summarizes a practical maxim of kingship: disciplined statecraft, strategic acquisition, and vigilant preservation of the realm’s gains.