Shloka 8
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
ज्ञातिसम्बन्धिमित्राणि व्यापन्नानि युधिष्ठिर । समभ्युद्धरमाणस्य दीक्षाश्रमपर्द भवेत्
jñātisambandhimitrāṇi vyāpannāni yudhiṣṭhira | samabhyuddharamāṇasya dīkṣāśramapadaṁ bhavet ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, for one who strives to rescue kinsmen, relatives, and friends who have fallen into distress, there arises the merit and standing associated with the disciplined stage of life—comparable to the rank attained in the vānaprastha āśrama. In dharma, active protection of one’s own in calamity is itself a form of austerity and consecrated duty.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that rescuing one’s distressed kinsmen, relatives, and friends is a high form of dharma. Such protective action is treated as spiritually weighty—on par with the merit/status associated with disciplined āśrama life (here compared to vānaprastha), showing that ethical responsibility in society can equal ascetic merit.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct after the war. In this verse he emphasizes practical dharma: when one’s close relations are in danger or misfortune, actively lifting them up is a sacred duty and yields significant spiritual reward.