Shloka 105
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
यश्च धर्मात् प्रविचलेल्लोके कश्नन मानव: । निग्राह्मास्ते स्वबाहुभ्यां शश्वद् धर्ममवेक्षता,“लोकमें जो कोई भी मनुष्य धर्मसे विचलित हो, उसे सनातन धर्मपर दृष्टि रखते हुए अपने बाहुबलसे परास्त करके दण्ड दो
yaś ca dharmāt pravicalel loke kaścana mānavaḥ | nigrahmās te svabāhubhyāṃ śaśvad dharmam avekṣatā ||
Bhīṣma said: “And if in this world any person strays from dharma, then—keeping one’s gaze fixed on the eternal law—subdue him by the strength of your own arms and administer punishment.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler or responsible authority must uphold dharma by restraining and punishing those who deviate from it, doing so with constant regard for the eternal moral order rather than personal whim.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on righteous governance in the Śānti Parva, he advises the listener that social stability depends on actively checking adharma—subduing wrongdoers and applying punishment as a duty aligned with dharma.