Shloka 20
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
बालवृद्धेषु कौन्तेय सर्वावस्थं युधिष्ठिर । अनुक्रोशक्रिया पार्थ सर्वावस्थं पर्दं भवेत्
bālavṛddheṣu kaunteya sarvāvasthaṁ yudhiṣṭhira | anukrośa-kriyā pārtha sarvāvasthaṁ paraṁ bhavet ||
Bhīṣma said: “O son of Kuntī, O Yudhiṣṭhira—indeed, O Pārtha—one who consistently acts with compassion toward children and the aged, in every condition of life, attains the highest merit in every stage of living. Such mercy, practiced steadily, yields the fruit that people seek through the disciplines of all āśramas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steady compassion toward the most vulnerable—children and the elderly—is itself a supreme dharmic practice. When maintained in every circumstance, it grants the highest merit, comparable to (or encompassing) the fruits sought through the disciplines of all four āśramas.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes a practical ethical rule for governance and personal conduct: consistent merciful behavior toward children and the aged as a hallmark of righteous living.