Shloka 79
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
षाड्गुण्यगुणसारैषा स्थास्यत्यग्रे महात्मसु । धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाश्ष सकला ह्वात्र शब्दिता:,“यह विद्या संधि-विग्रह आदि छहों गुणोंका सारभूत है। महात्माओंमें इसका स्थान सबसे आगे होगा। इस शास्त्रमें धर्म, अर्थ, काम और मोक्ष--इन चारों पुरुषार्थोका निरूपण किया गया है”
ṣāḍguṇyaguṇasāraiṣā sthāsyaty agre mahātmasu | dharmārthakāmamokṣāś ca sakalā hy atra śabditāḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Diese Lehre ist das eigentliche Wesen der sechsfachen Politik: Frieden, Krieg, Aufbruch, Verharren, Schutzsuche und Doppelstrategie. Unter den Großgesinnten wird sie an erster Stelle stehen. In dieser Abhandlung werden alle vier menschlichen Ziele dargelegt: dharma, artha (Wohlstand), kāma (rechtmäßiges Begehren) und mokṣa (Befreiung).“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma praises a śāstra/vidyā as supreme because it distills the essence of ṣāḍguṇya (six strategic policies of governance) while also encompassing the complete framework of the four puruṣārthas—dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa—showing that effective rule and ethical-spiritual aims should be integrated.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on kingship and right conduct after the war. Here he highlights the authority and comprehensiveness of a teaching on policy and human goals, presenting it as foremost among the wise and as a guide for both governance and life’s ultimate purposes.