Shloka 126
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
ब्राह्मणानां क्षतत्राणात् तत:ः क्षत्रिय उच्यते । प्रथिता धर्मतश्नेयं पृथिवी बहुभि: स्मृता,ब्राह्मणोंको क्षतिसे बचानेके कारण वे क्षत्रिय कहे जाने लगे। उन्होंने धर्मके द्वारा इस भूमिको प्रथित किया--इसकी ख्याति बढ़ायी; इसलिये बहुसंख्यक मनुष्योंद्वारा यह पृथ्वी” कहलायी
brāhmaṇānāṃ kṣatatrāṇāt tataḥ kṣatriya ucyate | prathitā dharmataś ceyaṃ pṛthivī bahubhiḥ smṛtā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Because they protect the brāhmaṇas from harm, they are therefore called ‘kṣatriyas’. And since this earth has been made renowned through dharma—its fame established by righteous governance—it is remembered by many as ‘Pṛthivī’ (the famed Earth).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s legitimacy is grounded in protective duty: the kṣatriya is defined by shielding society—especially the custodians of learning and ritual—from harm, and by establishing the earth’s renown through dharmic governance rather than mere force.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and statecraft, Bhīṣma explains the defining function of the kṣatriya class and links the fame of ‘Pṛthivī’ (the earth) to the spread and maintenance of dharma by righteous rulers.