Shloka 23

राजधर्मस्य नवनीतम्—रक्षा, दण्ड, चार, उत्थान

Rājadharma’s ‘Essence’: Protection, Punishment, Intelligence, and Royal Diligence

Devanagari script

यद्यप्यस्य विपत्ति: स्याद्‌ रक्षमाणस्य वै प्रजा: । सो<प्यस्य विपुलो धर्म एवंवृत्ता हि भूमिपा:

Transliteration

yady apy asya vipattiḥ syād rakṣamāṇasya vai prajāḥ | so 'py asya vipulo dharma evaṁvṛttā hi bhūmipāḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: Even if calamity should befall a king while he is protecting his subjects, that too becomes for him a great act of dharma. For such, indeed, ought to be the conduct and discipline of rulers: to guard the people even at the cost of their own life.

Word by Word

• यद्यपि: even if / although
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि + अपि

• अस्य: of him (of that king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• विपत्तिः: calamity, misfortune
• विपत्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपद् (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, nominative, singular

• स्यात्: may be / would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: optative (vidhi-liṅ), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• रक्षमाणस्य: of (him) who is protecting
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु) → रक्षमाण (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: masculine, genitive, singular

• वै: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• प्रजाः: subjects, people
• प्रजाः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: feminine, accusative, plural

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• अपि: also / even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• अस्य: for him / of him
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• विपुलः: great, abundant
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विपुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• धर्मः: duty, righteousness
• धर्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• वृत्ताः: conducting themselves, behaving
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √वृत्/√वृत्त् → भूतकृदन्त)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• भूमिपाः: kings (protectors of the earth)
• भूमिपाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि + पा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• bhūmipāḥ (kings/rulers)
• prajāḥ (subjects/people)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s foremost dharma is the protection of the people; even if that duty brings personal loss or death, the act remains a ‘great dharma’ because kingship is defined by self-sacrificing guardianship.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira about ideal royal conduct, emphasizing that true kings act as protectors of the subjects even under extreme danger.