Shloka 28
Ānṛśaṃsya, Amātya-Guṇa, and Reconciliatory Counsel (आनृशंस्य–अमात्यगुण–संधि-उपदेशः)
ददौ दुहितरं चास्मै रत्नानि विविधानि च । एष राज्ञां परो धर्मोडनित्यौ जयपराजयौ
dadau duhitaraṃ cāsmai ratnāni vividhāni ca | eṣa rājñāṃ paro dharmo 'nityau jayaparājayau ||
Bhishma said: “He gave him his daughter in marriage and also presented various kinds of jewels as gifts. This is held to be the highest duty of kings: victory and defeat are impermanent.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that a king’s highest dharma is to uphold stable, righteous order through proper alliances and generosity; since victory and defeat are transient, policy should not be driven solely by the obsession with winning.
Bhishma describes a king arranging a marriage by giving his daughter and presenting diverse jewels as gifts, then generalizes the act as exemplary royal conduct, emphasizing the fleeting nature of triumph and loss.