Shloka 127
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
स्थापनं चाकरोद् विष्णु: स्वयमेव सनातन: । नातिवर्तिष्यते कश्चिद् राज॑स्त्वामिति भारत,भरतनन्दन! स्वयं सनातन भगवान् विष्णुने उनके लिये यह मर्यादा स्थापित की कि “राजन! कोई भी तुम्हारी आज्ञाका उल्लंघन नहीं कर सकेगा”
sthāpanaṃ cākarod viṣṇuḥ svayam eva sanātanaḥ | nātivartiṣyate kaścid rājās tvām iti bhārata ||
Bhīṣma said: “The eternal Viṣṇu himself established this ordinance: ‘O king, O Bhārata, no one shall be able to overstep your command.’” The verse underscores that rightful royal authority, when aligned with dharma, is not merely personal power but a divinely grounded boundary meant to secure order and prevent transgression.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate kingship is protected by a divinely sanctioned moral boundary: when a ruler’s command is grounded in dharma, it functions as an ordinance meant to restrain transgression and preserve order, not as arbitrary force.
Bhīṣma, instructing the king (addressed as ‘Bhārata’), states that Viṣṇu himself instituted a rule ensuring that no one would be able to violate the king’s rightful command—framing royal authority as established for the maintenance of dharma.