Shloka 26
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
यः स्थित: पुरुषो धर्मे धात्रा सृष्टे यथार्थवत् । आश्रमाणां हि सर्वेषां फल प्राप्रोत्यनामयम्,जो पुरुष विधाताद्वारा विहित धर्ममें स्थित होकर यथार्थ रूपसे उसका पालन करता है, वह सभी आश्रमोंके निर्दोष फलको प्राप्त कर लेता है
yaḥ sthitaḥ puruṣo dharme dhātrā sṛṣṭe yathārthavat | āśramāṇāṃ hi sarveṣāṃ phalaṃ prāpnoty anāmayam ||
Bhishma sprach: Wer im vom Schöpfer verordneten Dharma fest gegründet bleibt und ihn in seinem wahren Geist ausübt, erlangt die makellose, heilsame Frucht aller Lebensstufen (āśrama).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
If one faithfully follows the divinely ordained dharma in its true intent, one gains the pure, unobstructed merit associated with all four āśramas—suggesting that sincerity and correctness of practice matter more than merely occupying a particular life-stage.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira about dharma. Here he emphasizes that steadfast adherence to the Creator-ordained duty yields the faultless fruits of the entire āśrama system.