Shloka 20
Kṣātra-Dharma, Daṇḍanīti, and Social Order
Indra–Māndhātṛ Dialogue
क्षात्राद् धर्माद् विपुलादप्रमेया- ल्लोकाः: प्राप्ता: स्थापितं स्व॑ं यशश्न । धर्मो योडसावादिदेवात् प्रवृत्तो लोकश्रेष्ठ तं न जानामि कर्तुम्
kṣātrād dharmād vipulād aprameyāl lokāḥ prāptāḥ sthāpitaṁ svaṁ yaśaś ca | dharmo yo ’sāv ādidevāt pravṛtto lokaśreṣṭha taṁ na jānāmi kartum ||
Bhishma sprach: „Durch das weite und unermessliche Dharma des Kshatriya gelangte ich in erhabene Welten und begründete meinen Ruhm überall. Doch das Dharma, das aus der Urgottheit—Vishnu—hervorgeht, das höchste Dharma für die Welt, weiß ich nicht zu üben.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes between success gained through kshatriya-duty (valor, rule, battle) and the supreme dharma that originates from the highest divine source (Vishnu). He admits that worldly merit and fame do not automatically grant mastery of the highest spiritual-ethical path, emphasizing humility and the need to learn the deeper dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira about dharma. Here he reflects on his own life: despite attaining exalted results through the warrior code and spreading his renown, he confesses uncertainty about practicing the highest dharma rooted in the supreme deity, thereby framing the discussion as a search for deeper ethical and spiritual guidance.