Shloka 15

Devanagari script

चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य धर्माश्च रक्षितव्या महीक्षिता | धर्मसंकररक्षा च राज्ञां धर्म: सनातन:,राजाको चारों वर्णोंके धर्मोकी रक्षा करनी चाहिये, प्रजाको धर्मसंकरतासे बचाना राजाओंका सनातन धर्म है

Transliteration

cāturvarṇyasya dharmāś ca rakṣitavyā mahīkṣitā | dharmasaṅkararakṣā ca rājñāṃ dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „O König, die Pflichten der vier Stände (varṇa) müssen vom Herrscher bewahrt werden. Das Volk vor Verwirrung und Vermischung der Pflichten (dharma-saṅkara) zu schützen, ist die ewige Pflicht der Könige.“

Word by Word

चातुर्वर्ण्यस्यof the fourfold social order

धर्माःduties, laws

चand

रक्षितव्याःto be protected

महीक्षिताby the king (protector of the earth)

धर्मसंकररक्षाprotection against confusion/mixing of dharmas

चand

राज्ञाम्of kings

धर्मःduty

सनातनःeternal, perennial

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Mahīkṣitā (the king addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s perennial duty is to uphold dharma by protecting the rightful duties of the four varṇas and preventing dharma-saṅkara—social and ethical disorder arising from confusion of roles and obligations.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhīṣma advises the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on rājadharma, emphasizing governance as the protection of social-ethical order and the prevention of societal breakdown.