Shloka 18
राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order
समेत्य तास्ततश्चक्करु: समयानिति न: श्रुतम् । वाक्शूरो दण्डपरुषो यश्च स्यात् पारजायिक:
sametya tāstataścakruḥ samayān iti naḥ śrutam | vākśūro daṇḍaparuṣo yaś ca syāt pārājayikaḥ ||
Bhishma sprach: „Wir haben gehört, dass sie, nachdem sie sich versammelt hatten, gegenseitige Abmachungen trafen. Doch wer nur in Worten kühn ist, in Strafe hart und darauf aus, andere zu besiegen, taugt nicht für solche Eintracht.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Lasting agreements (samaya) require restraint and integrity; mere verbal bravado and punitive harshness, driven by a desire to defeat others, undermines concord and righteous governance.
Bhīṣma reports a traditional account: after gathering, a group established mutual compacts; he then cautions that a person who is only bold in speech and severe in punishment, aiming at others’ defeat, is unsuitable for maintaining such agreements.