Shloka 114
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
समतां वसुधायाश्व स सम्यगुदपादयत् | वैषम्यं हि परं भूमेरासीदिति च न: श्रुतम्,सुना जाता है कि पृथुके समय यह पृथ्वी बहुत ऊँची-नीची थी। उन्होंने ही इसे भलीभाँति समतल बनाया था
samatāṁ vasudhāyāś ca sa samyag udapādayat | vaiṣamyaṁ hi paraṁ bhūmer āsīd iti ca naḥ śrutam ||
Bhishma said: He properly brought the earth to an even, level state. For we have heard that earlier the ground was extremely uneven—full of highs and lows—until his ordering hand made it fit for settled life and righteous governance.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous ruler’s duty is to remove disorder and make the world habitable and fair—symbolized by leveling the earth. Governance is not merely power; it is constructive, welfare-oriented action that enables dharma and stable livelihood.
Bhishma recalls a traditional account about King Pṛthu: the earth was once extremely uneven, and Pṛthu is credited with making it properly level, establishing conditions for agriculture, settlement, and orderly rule.