Shloka 33
Cāturāśramya-dharma—Marks of the Four Āśramas (चातुराश्रम्यधर्मः)
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! मान्धाताको इस प्रकार उपदेश देकर इन्द्ररूपधारी भगवान् विष्णु मरुदगणोंके साथ अविनाशी एवं सनातन परमपद विष्णुधामको चले गये ।।
bhīṣma uvāca—rājan! māndhātāram evaṃ upadiśya indrarūpadhārī bhagavān viṣṇuḥ marudgaṇaiḥ saha avināśi evaṃ sanātanaṃ paramaṃ padaṃ viṣṇudhāma jagāma. evaṃ pravartite dharme purā sucarite ’nagha, kaḥ kṣatraṃ avamanyeta cetanāvān bahuśrutaḥ? niṣpāpa nareśvara! evaṃ prācīnakāle bhagavatā viṣṇunā eva rājadharmaḥ pravartitaḥ, satpuruṣaiś ca sa suṣṭhu ācaritaḥ; tādṛśe sati ko nāma kṣātradharmam avajñāsyāt?
Bhishma said: “O King, having thus instructed Mandhata, the Blessed Lord Vishnu—who had assumed the form of Indra—departed with the Maruts to the imperishable, eternal supreme state, Vishnu’s own abode. O sinless one, when dharma was thus established in ancient times and well practiced, what conscious and well‑learned person would ever disdain the kshatriya code? O blameless lord of men, it was indeed Vishnu who first set royal duty in motion, and it was faithfully lived by the righteous; in such a situation, who could possibly treat the warrior’s dharma with contempt?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal duty (rājadharma) and the kshatriya code are not merely human conventions; they are portrayed as divinely instituted by Vishnu and validated by ancient righteous practice. Therefore, a discerning and learned person should not disparage kshatriya-dharma.
Bhishma recounts that Vishnu, having instructed King Mandhata while appearing in Indra’s form, departs with the Maruts to Vishnu’s eternal abode. Bhishma then draws a normative conclusion: since Vishnu established rajadharma long ago and the virtuous lived by it, contempt for kshatriya duty is unreasonable.