Shloka 24
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
कुन्तीनन्दन! बड़ी-छोटी पत्नियों, भाइयों, पुत्रों और नातियोंको भी जो राजा अपराध करनेपर दण्ड और अच्छे कार्य करनेपर अनुग्रहरूप पुरस्कार देता है, यही उसके द्वारा गा्हस्थ्य-धर्मका पालन है और यही उसकी तपस्या है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | kuntīnandana! bṛhad-aṇu-patnīṣu bhrātṛṣu putreṣu pautreṣu ca yo rājā aparādhe daṇḍaṃ dadāti satkṛtye cānugraharūpaṃ puraskāraṃ dadāti, etad eva tena gārhasthya-dharmasya pālanaṃ, etad eva ca tasya tapaḥ || sādhūnām arcanīyānāṃ pūjā suviditātmanām | pālanaṃ puruṣavyāghra gṛhāśrama-phala-pradam bhavet ||
Bhishma said: “O son of Kunti, a king who—without partiality—punishes wrongdoing and rewards good conduct, even when the persons involved are his own wives (senior or junior), brothers, sons, or grandsons, thereby truly upholds the dharma of the householder; that very impartial governance is his austerity (tapas). Moreover, O tiger among men, honoring venerable saints who are renowned as knowers of the Self (Ātman), and protecting them, becomes a source of the meritorious fruit of the householder’s stage of life.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s true austerity is ethical impartiality: he must punish wrongdoing and reward virtue even when his own relatives are involved. In addition, honoring and protecting realized, virtuous sages is presented as a key source of merit aligned with the householder’s dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous governance. He defines the king’s duty in terms of fair application of punishment and reward, and he links royal responsibility to the broader gṛhastha ideal of supporting and safeguarding worthy sages.