Shloka 18
Cyavana Explains His Tests; Kuśika Seeks Brāhmaṇya for His Line (च्यवन–कुशिक संवादः)
इदं गृहमिदं राज्यमिदं धर्मासनं च ते । राजा त्वमसि शाध्युर्वीमहं तु परवांस्त्वयि
idaṁ gṛham idaṁ rājyam idaṁ dharmāsanaṁ ca te | rājā tvam asi sādhv ṛṣi mahāhaṁ tu paravāṁs tvayi ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Dieses Haus, dieses Königreich und dieser nach Dharma errichtete Thron sind dein. Du bist der König—o ehrwürdiger Weiser—herrsche und schütze diese Erde. Was mich betrifft, so bleibe ich auf ewig von dir abhängig, ein Diener unter deinem Befehl.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate rule is grounded in dharma, and true nobility includes humility: even a mighty figure like Bhīṣma frames authority as belonging to the righteous claimant and presents himself as obedient to dharmic order rather than personal power.
Bhīṣma addresses a venerable sage, offering the palace, kingdom, and dharmic throne to him, affirming the sage’s right to rule and declaring his own willingness to remain under the sage’s command—an act that underscores deference to spiritual-moral authority.