Shloka 122
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
सरीसृपेभ्य: स्तेनेभ्यो न चान्योन्यात् कदाचन । भयमुत्पद्यते तत्र तस्य राज्ञोडभिरक्षणात्
sarīsṛpebhyaḥ stenebhyo na cānyonyāt kadācana | bhayam utpadyate tatra tasya rājño 'bhirakṣaṇāt ||
From reptiles, from thieves, and even from mutual hostility among people, fear arises there—because that king fails to provide protection.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s primary dharma is protection (rakṣā). When the king neglects safeguarding the people, insecurity spreads—from external threats like thieves and dangerous creatures to internal breakdown where people fear one another.
Bhishma, instructing on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, explains the consequences of a king’s failure to protect: the realm becomes unsafe, and fear arises from both natural dangers and social conflict.