Shloka 15
यथा यथास्य बहव: सहाया: स्युस्तथा परे | आचारमेव मन्यन्ते गरीयो धर्मलक्षणम्,जैसे-जैसे आचरणोंसे राजाके बहुत-से दूसरे लोग सहायक हों, वैसे ही आचरण उसे अपनाने चाहिये। धर्मज्ञ पुरुष आचारको ही धर्मका प्रधान लक्षण मानते हैं
yathā yathāsya bahavaḥ sahāyāḥ syus tathā pare | ācāram eva manyante garīyo dharmalakṣaṇam ||
Bhishma said: “As a king finds many others supporting a certain course of conduct, so should he adopt that very conduct. For those who truly know dharma regard established right practice (ācāra) as the weightiest mark and measure of dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is most reliably recognized through ācāra—authoritative, lived conduct upheld by the community; therefore a ruler should align his behavior with sound, widely supported practice rather than mere theory.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous governance and moral order, Bhishma advises the listener that a king should adopt conduct that is supported by many capable people, emphasizing that the learned treat proper conduct as the chief indicator of dharma.