Shloka 38
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
यः सत्करोति ज्ञानानि ज्ञेये परहिते रत: । सतां वर्त्मनिगस्त्यागी स राजा राज्यमहति,जो ज्ञान एवं ज्ञानियोंका सत्कार करता है, शास्त्रके ज्ञातव्य विषयको समझने तथा परहित-साधन करनेमें संलग्न रहता है, सत्पुरुषोंके मार्गपर चलनेवाला और स्वार्थत्यागी है, वही राजा राज्य चलानेके योग्य समझा जाता है
yaḥ satkaroti jñānāni jñeye parahite rataḥ | satāṁ vartmanigastyāgī sa rājā rājyam arhati ||
Bhishma said: The king who honors learning and the learned, who is devoted to understanding what the scriptures declare as worth knowing, and who is engaged in promoting the welfare of others—who follows the path of the virtuous and renounces selfish interest—such a ruler alone is fit to govern a kingdom.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler becomes worthy of sovereignty by honoring knowledge and those who possess it, seeking true understanding of what should be known, working for others’ welfare, walking in the conduct of the virtuous, and renouncing selfish motives.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira the standards of good governance, defining the ethical and intellectual qualities that make a king fit to rule.