Shloka 47
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
न च राज्यसमो धर्म: कश्चिदस्ति परंतप । धर्म: संशब्दितो राज्ञामापदर्थमतोडन्यथा
na ca rājya-samo dharmaḥ kaścid asti parantapa | dharmaḥ saṃśabdito rājñām āpad-artham ato 'nyathā, parantapa ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Bezwinger der Feinde, es gibt keine Pflicht, die dem Schutz und Erhalt des Königtums gleichkäme. Das hier genannte ‘Dharma’ ist den Herrschern nur als Notmaßnahme in Zeiten des Unheils vorgeschrieben; es darf nicht als gewöhnliche Regel für normale Umstände gelten.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma prioritizes rāja-dharma: for a ruler, safeguarding the kingdom is the highest duty. He also draws a boundary—certain exceptional measures (āpad-dharma) are permitted only during crises and should not be normalized in peaceful times.
In Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira receives instruction from Bhīṣma on statecraft and ethics after the war. Here Bhīṣma clarifies that the earlier-discussed special rule is meant for emergencies affecting rulers, while the ordinary standard of conduct applies otherwise.