Shloka 15
Kṣātra-dharma as the Public Foundation of Dharma (क्षात्रधर्म-प्रशंसा)
कृतकृत्यो वयो5तीतो राज्ञ: कृतपरिश्रम: । वैश्यो गच्छेदनुज्ञातो नृपेणाश्रमसंश्रयम्,अपने वर्णधर्मका परिश्रमपूर्वक पालन करके कृतकृत्य हुआ वैश्य अधिक अवस्था व्यतीत हो जानेपर राजाकी आज्ञा लेकर क्षत्रियोचित वानप्रस्थ आश्रमोंका ग्रहण करे
kṛtakṛtyo vayotīto rājñaḥ kṛtaparishramaḥ | vaiśyo gacched anu-jñāto nṛpeṇāśramasaṃśrayam ||
Bhishma said: When a Vaiśya has fulfilled his duties and, having grown old, has completed the labors required by his station, he should—after obtaining the king’s permission—withdraw from active worldly life and take refuge in an āśrama (a disciplined stage of life), adopting the forest-dweller’s mode of renunciation appropriate to his transition from household responsibilities.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
After properly completing one’s prescribed social duties (varṇa-dharma) and reaching old age, one should transition toward a disciplined, renunciatory life (āśrama), doing so in an orderly way that respects social governance—here, by seeking the king’s permission.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Śānti Parva, he outlines a normative life-course for a Vaiśya: having fulfilled household and occupational responsibilities, the person may withdraw from active worldly engagement and take up an āśrama-oriented life, with royal authorization.