Shloka 37
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
धर्मे स्थिता सत्त्ववीर्या धर्मसेतुवटारका । त्यागवाताध्वगा शीघ्रा नौस्तं संतारयिष्यति
dharme sthitā sattvavīryā dharmasetuvaṭārakā | tyāgavātādhvagā śīghrā naus taṃ santārayiṣyati ||
Bhīṣma said: “The single boat called royal duty is established in Dharma. Its strength is the power of sattva (clarity and virtue); the rope that binds and steadies it is the teaching of Dharma; driven swiftly along its course by the wind of renunciation, that very boat will carry the king across the ocean of worldly existence.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that a king crosses the dangers of worldly life and rule by relying on rājadharma grounded in Dharma: guided by sattva (inner virtue and clarity), secured by dharmaśāstra (normative guidance), and propelled by tyāga (renunciation of selfish gain).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhishma continues advising the king on the foundations of righteous rule, using an extended boat metaphor to show how virtue, scripture, and renunciation together enable safe and successful kingship.