Shloka 4
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
सर्वाण्येतानि कौन्तेय विद्यन्ते मनुजर्षभ | साध्वाचारप्रवृत्तानां चातुराश्रम्यकारिणाम्
sarvāṇy etāni kaunteya vidyante manujarṣabha | sādhvācāra-pravṛttānāṃ cāturāśramya-kāriṇām ||
Bhishma said: “O son of Kunti, best of men—these same attainments are found for those who live by good conduct and duly perform the duties of the four āśramas. In the same way, a king who has cast off attachment and aversion and acts in accordance with the principles of righteous governance (daṇḍanīti) also obtains those fruits; and if he looks upon all beings with equal regard, he reaches the very state that is attained by renunciants.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the spiritual fruits associated with virtuous life across the four āśramas are also attainable by a king who governs without attachment and aversion, following righteous policy and maintaining equal regard for all beings—thus approaching the renunciant’s highest state.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on rājadharma, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira that kingship, when exercised with self-control, impartiality, and adherence to dharma, is not spiritually inferior to ascetic paths; it can yield the same ultimate attainments.