Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 36
भीष्मस्योत्तरायणप्रतीक्षा तथा युधिष्ठिरागमनम् | Bhīṣma’s uttarāyaṇa moment and Yudhiṣṭhira’s arrival
शूरसेनेषु भूत्वा स द्वारकायां वसन प्रभु: । पालयिष्यति गां देवीं विजित्य नयवित् सदा
Śūraseneṣu bhūtvā sa Dvārakāyāṁ vasan prabhuḥ | pālayiṣyati gāṁ devīṁ vijitya nayavit sadā, nītivettā bhagavān Śrīkṛṣṇaḥ Śūrasena-deśe (Mathurā-maṇḍale) avatīrṇo bhūtvā tatraiva Dvārakā-purīṁ gatvā nivatsyati iti |
Īśvara said: “Having taken birth among the Śūrasenas and dwelling as the sovereign in Dvārakā, the Lord will conquer the kings and, ever guided by sound policy and righteous governance, protect the divine Earth. Thus Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, descending in the Śūrasena country (the Mathurā region), will go from there to the city of Dvārakā and reside there, upholding the world through dharmic rule.”
ईश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate power is justified by dharma: the ideal ruler conquers not for ego but to establish order, and then protects the Earth through nīti—ethical policy, restraint, and welfare-oriented governance.
Īśvara foretells Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s descent in the Śūrasena/Mathurā region, his residence in Dvārakā, his victory over opposing kings, and his ongoing role as a master of statecraft who safeguards the Earth as a divine trust.