Shloka 29
अध्याय ७२ — राजधर्मः: प्रजारक्षण, कर-नीति, दण्ड-नीति, अमात्य-नियोजन
Chapter 72 — Royal Duty: protection of subjects, taxation, punishment, and appointments
यदल्ला कुरुते धर्म प्रजा धर्मेण पालयन् । दशवर्षसहस्राणि तस्य भुंक्ते फलं दिवि
yad ahar kurute dharmaṁ prajā dharmeṇa pālayan | daśavarṣasahasrāṇi tasya bhuṅkte phalaṁ divi ||
Bhishma sprach: Welches Maß an Rechtschaffenheit ein König an einem einzigen Tag erwirbt, indem er seine Untertanen gemäß dem Dharma schützt, dessen Frucht genießt er im Himmel zehntausend Jahre lang. Die Lehre lautet: Gerechte Herrschaft—im Dharma verwurzelt und als treuer Schutz des Volkes verwirklicht—vermehrt das Verdienst weit über die unmittelbare Tat hinaus.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s highest daily duty is dharmic protection of the people; the merit gained from such just governance is extraordinarily amplified, yielding long enjoyment of its फल (reward) in heaven.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on राजधर्म (the duties of kings), Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira about the spiritual and ethical consequences of rulership, emphasizing that protecting subjects according to dharma brings immense पुण्य (merit).