Shloka 26
अभया गजपृष्ठस्था रथचर्याविशारदा: । इष्वस्त्रकुशला यस्य तस्येयं नृपतेर्मही,जिसके योद्धा युद्धमें वीरता दिखानेवाले, कृतज्ञ, शस्त्र चलानेकी कलामें कुशल, धर्मशास्त्रके ज्ञानसे सम्पन्न, पैदल सैनिकोंसे घिरे हुए, निर्भय, हाथीकी पीठपर बैठकर युद्ध करनेमें समर्थ, रथचर्यामें निपुण तथा थरनुर्विद्यामें प्रवीण होते हैं, उसी राजाके अधीन इस भूमण्डलका राज्य होता है
abhayā gajapṛṣṭhasthā rathacaryāviśāradāḥ | iṣvastrakuśalā yasya tasyeyaṁ nṛpater mahī ||
Bhishma said: “That king truly possesses this earth whose warriors are fearless—able to fight from the backs of elephants, expert in chariot-manoeuvre, and skilled in the use of bows and weapons.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s sovereignty is upheld by a disciplined, fearless, and well-trained military; martial competence is presented as an ethical instrument for protecting the realm and sustaining order (rajadharma).
In Bhishma’s instruction on kingship in the Shanti Parva, he describes the kind of warriors whose presence enables a ruler to hold and govern the earth—those skilled in weapons, elephant-mounted combat, and chariot tactics.