Shloka 159
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
सप्ताड्श्चैव संघातस्त्रयश्चान्ये नूपोत्तम | सम्भूय दशवर्गो<5यं भुड्धक्ते राज्यं हि राजवत्
saptāṅgaś caiva saṅghātas trayaś cānye nṛpottama | sambhūya daśavargo 'yaṃ bhunkte rājyaṃ hi rājavat ||
Bhishma said: “O best of kings, the seven constituent limbs of the state, together with three additional powers, combine to form this tenfold order of the kingdom. United, these ten share in the enjoyment and functioning of sovereignty, as though they were the king himself.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kingship is not a solitary power: the state is an integrated system. When the seven limbs of the realm and three key powers act in unity, they collectively sustain and ‘share’ the work and fruits of sovereignty; therefore a ruler must govern through coordination, not mere personal will.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma addresses the king and explains a structural model of the kingdom: seven standard constituents plus three additional powers together form a tenfold framework that operates the state as effectively as the king.