Shloka 39
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
सुप्रसन्नस्तु भावेन योगेन च नराधिप । धर्म पुरुषशार्दूल प्राप्स्यते पालने रत:
suprasannastu bhāvena yogena ca narādhipa | dharma puruṣaśārdūla prāpsyate pālane rataḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: O lord of men, O tiger among men, when a king’s inner being becomes thoroughly purified and serene through equanimity of disposition and through yoga understood as the restraint of the mind’s fluctuations, then that ruler—devoted to the protection and governance of his subjects—attains the fruit of the highest dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler who cultivates inner serenity through equanimity and yogic restraint of mental fluctuations becomes fit for righteous governance; such a king, devoted to protecting subjects, earns the fruit of the highest dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship and dharma, Bhishma addresses the king (Yudhishthira) and explains that effective and meritorious rule depends on inner purification—calmness and yoga-based self-mastery—along with steadfast commitment to protecting the people.