Shloka 28
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
स्थानमानं कुले मानं वयोमानं तथैव च । कुर्वन् वसति सर्वेषु हाश्रमेषु युधिष्ठिर,युधिष्ठिर! जो राजा स्थान, कुल और अवस्थाका मान रखते हुए कार्य करता है, वह सभी आश्रमोंमें निवास करनेका फल पाता है
sthānamānaṁ kule mānaṁ vayomānaṁ tathaiva ca | kurvan vasati sarveṣu hāśrameṣu yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, the king who acts while duly honoring rank and office, the dignity of lineage, and the respect due to age, gains the merit as though he had lived rightly in all the āśramas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s dharma includes giving appropriate respect to social position, family dignity, and seniority; such balanced, respectful governance is so meritorious that it equals the spiritual fruit of rightly living through all four āśramas.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising King Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical governance, emphasizing that proper recognition of rank, lineage, and age is a key element of righteous rule.