Shloka 3
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
यत्तु लिड्रान्तरगतं पृच्छसे मां युधिष्ठिर । धर्म धर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठ त॒त्निबोध नराधिप
bhīṣma uvāca | yattu liṅgāntaragataṃ pṛcchase māṃ yudhiṣṭhira | dharma dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭha tan nibodha narādhipa ||
Bhishma said: “But as for that subtle matter of dharma—arising within the shifting conditions and outward forms of life—about which you question me, O Yudhishthira: O best among the upholders of righteousness, understand it well, O king.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames dharma as subtle and context-sensitive: when outward conditions and social ‘marks’ (liṅga) change, one must still discern the underlying righteous course through careful understanding rather than rigid appearance-based judgment.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Yudhishthira questions Bhishma about nuanced aspects of dharma. Bhishma responds by acknowledging the subtlety of the topic and urges the king—praised as foremost among dharma-upholders—to listen and comprehend the explanation that follows.