Shloka 3
राजधर्मस्य नवनीतम्—रक्षा, दण्ड, चार, उत्थान
Rājadharma’s ‘Essence’: Protection, Punishment, Intelligence, and Royal Diligence
भरद्वाजश्न भगवांस्तथा गौरशिरा मुनि: । राजशान््त्रप्रणेतारो ब्रह्माण्या ब्रह्मवादिन:
bhīṣma uvāca |
bharadvājaś ca bhagavāṁs tathā gauraśirā muniḥ |
rājaśāstra-praṇetāro brahmaṇyā brahmavādinaḥ ||
eteṣāṁ caiva vinā bhagavān viśālākṣaḥ mahātapāḥ śukrācāryaḥ sahasra-netro indraḥ prācetaso manuḥ |
ete sarve brāhmaṇa-bhaktā brahmavādinaś ca rājaśāstrasya praṇetāraḥ |
rājñe prajā-pālana-rūpaṁ dharmam eva praśaṁsanti |
dharmātmāsu śreṣṭha kamala-nayana yudhiṣṭhira rākṣaṇika-dharmasya sādhanāni vakṣyāmi śṛṇu ||
Bhishma said: “The venerable Bharadvaja and the sage Gauraśiras are authors of the science of kingship—devoted to Brahman and proclaimers of Brahman. Besides them, the illustrious Viśālākṣa, the great ascetic Śukrācārya, Indra of a thousand eyes, Manu the son of Pracetas, and others too—these Brahman-devoted seers, all exponents of sacred truth, have laid down the principles of royal governance. They all praise, for a king, the dharma whose very form is the protection and nurturing of the people. O lotus-eyed Yudhiṣṭhira, best among the righteous, I shall now describe the means by which this protective dharma is upheld—listen.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma grounds kingship in rākṣaṇika-dharma: the king’s foremost righteousness is protecting and sustaining the people. Political authority is validated by welfare and protection, as taught by revered rājaśāstra authorities who are aligned with Brahmanic ethical order.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on statecraft after the war. Here he cites a lineage of authoritative sages and deities associated with rājaśāstra, then announces he will explain the practical means for maintaining the king’s protective duty toward subjects.