Shloka 55
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
जिनके भरण-पोषणका कोई उपाय न हो, उनके जीवननिर्वाहका प्रबन्ध करना, जिनके भरण-पोषणकी व्यवस्था राज्यकी ओरसे की गयी हो उनकी देखभाल करना, समयपर धनका दान करना, दुर्व्यसनमें आसक्त न होना आदि विविध विषयोंका उस ग्रन्थमें उल्लेख है ।। तथा राजगुणाश्वैव सेनापतिगुणाश्व ह । कारणं च त्रिवर्गस्य गुणदोषास्तथैव च,राजाके गुण, सेनापतिके गुण, अर्थ, धर्म और कामके साधन तथा उनके गुण-दोषका भी उसमें निरूपण किया गया है
bhīṣma uvāca | yeṣāṁ bharaṇa-poṣaṇasya kaścid upāyo na bhavati teṣāṁ jīvana-nirvāhasya prabandhaṁ kartum, yeṣāṁ bharaṇa-poṣaṇa-vyavasthā rājya-tas kṛtā teṣāṁ paripālanaṁ kartum, kāle dhana-dānaṁ kartum, durvyasaneṣu āsaktiṁ na kartum ity-ādi vividhān viṣayān sa granthaḥ upadiśati || tathā rāja-guṇāś caiva senāpati-guṇāś ca | kāraṇaṁ ca trivargasya guṇa-doṣās tathaiva ca ||
Bhishma said: “That treatise lays down many practical duties: arranging sustenance for those who have no means of support; supervising and protecting those whose maintenance has been undertaken by the state; giving wealth in charity at the proper time; and remaining free from addiction to harmful vices. It also sets forth the qualities required of a king and of a commander-in-chief, and explains the foundations of the three aims of life—dharma, artha, and kāma—together with their merits and faults.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes concrete public welfare: ensuring livelihood for the helpless, caring for those supported by the state, giving charity at the right time, and maintaining personal discipline by avoiding destructive vices; alongside this, sound governance requires understanding the virtues of a king and commander and the proper pursuit of dharma, artha, and kāma with awareness of their benefits and dangers.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by summarizing what a political-ethical treatise teaches—practical administrative duties, leadership qualities, and the framework of the three aims of life—presenting them as guidance for righteous rule after the war.