Shloka 21
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
बलात्कृतेषु भूतेषु परित्राणं कुरूद्गह | शरणागतेषु कौरव्य कुर्वन् गार्हस्थ्यमावसेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | balātkṛteṣu bhūteṣu paritrāṇaṃ kuru udgaha | śaraṇāgateṣu kauravya kurvan gārhasthyam āvaset, kurunandana ||
Bhishma said: “O descendant of the Kurus, O joy of the Kuru line: when living beings have been violated by force and come seeking refuge, one should rescue and protect them from danger. Acting thus, a householder truly abides in the dharma of household life (gārhasthya) and becomes a sharer in the merit that arises from rightly practiced gārhasthya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A householder (and, by extension, a ruler) fulfills dharma by actively protecting those who have suffered violence and who seek refuge; such protection is itself a source of religious merit.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma advises the Kuru prince (Yudhiṣṭhira) that rescuing and safeguarding victims who come for shelter is a central obligation aligned with gārhasthya-dharma.