Shloka 5
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
अकामद्वेषयुक्तस्य दण्डनीत्या युधिष्ठिर । समदर्शिनिश्च भूतेषु भैक्ष्याश्रमप्दं भवेत्
akāmadveṣayuktasya daṇḍanītyā yudhiṣṭhira | samadarśinaś ca bhūteṣu bhaikṣyāśramapadaṃ bhavet, kuntīnandana! naraśreṣṭha! |
Bhishma said: “O Yudhishthira, when a king is free from desire and hatred and governs in accordance with the principles of punishment and justice (daṇḍanīti), and when he looks upon all beings with an equal eye, he attains the very state and goal that belong to the mendicant’s (renunciant’s) way of life. Thus, the fruits gained by men devoted to right conduct who duly observe the duties of the four āśramas are also gained by a ruler who has cast off attachment and aversion and rules by righteous discipline; and if he is impartial toward all creatures, he reaches the same highest course as the sannyāsin.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler who governs by just discipline (daṇḍanīti) while remaining free from desire and hatred, and who is impartial toward all beings, can attain the same spiritual fruit associated with the renunciant’s path—showing that inner detachment and fairness can sanctify even worldly kingship.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on kingship and dharma, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira that true royal duty is not mere power but ethical governance: impartiality, self-control, and justice elevate a king to the highest moral and spiritual standing.