Shloka 31
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
नरव्याप्र नरेश! जो समय-समयपर सम्पत्ति और उपहार देकर समस्त प्राणियोंका सम्मान करता रहता है, वह साधु पुरुषोंके आश्रममें निवासका पुण्यफल पा लेता है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | naravyāghra nareśa! yo samaya-samaye sampattiṃ ca upahārān ca dattvā samasta-prāṇināṃ sammānaṃ karoti, sa sādhu-puruṣāṇām āśrameṣu nivāsa-puṇya-phalaṃ prāpnoti | daśa-dharma-gata-kṣā api yo dharmaṃ pratyavekṣate, sarva-lokasya kaunteya rājā bhavati so ’śramī |
Bhishma said: “O tiger among men, O king—whoever, at fitting times, gives wealth and gifts and continually honors all living beings, gains the merit that comes from dwelling in the hermitages of the righteous. And, O son of Kunti, even if a king is established in the tenfold duties taught by Manu, if he keeps his gaze upon the dharma of the whole world—watching over it and upholding it—he becomes a sharer in the merit of all the āśramas (all stages of life).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler earns profound spiritual merit not only through personal virtue but by actively honoring all beings through timely generosity and by safeguarding the dharma of society as a whole; such governance is said to confer the merit of all āśramas.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira, describing the ethical ideal of kingship: the king should give appropriately, respect all creatures, and oversee the world’s dharma, thereby attaining merit comparable to living among sages and fulfilling all life-stages.