Shloka 15
राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order
अराजक देशमें पापी मनुष्य भी कभी कुशलपूर्वक नहीं रह सकते। एकका धन दो मिलकर उठा ले जाते हैं और उन दोनोंका धन दूसरे बहुसंख्यक लुटेरे लूट लेते हैं ।। अदास: क्रियते दासो हियन्ते च बलात् स्त्रिय: । एतस्मात् कारणाद् देवा: प्रजापालान् प्रचक्रिरे,अराजकताकी स्थितिमें जो दास नहीं है, उसे दास बना लिया जाता है और स्त्रियोंका बलपूर्वक अपहरण किया जाता है। इसी कारणसे देवताओंने प्रजापालक नरेशोंकी सृष्टि की है
arājake deśe pāpī manuṣyā api kadācit kuśalapūrvakaṁ naiva vasanti | ekasya dhanaṁ dvābhyāṁ militvā hriyate, tayoś ca dhanaṁ anyaiḥ bahubhir luṇṭakaiḥ luṇṭhyate || adāsaḥ kriyate dāso hriyante ca balāt striyaḥ | etasmāt kāraṇād devāḥ prajā-pālān pracakrire ||
Bhīṣma says: In a land without a king, even wicked men cannot live in safety or well-being. The wealth of one person is carried off by two acting together, and then the wealth of those two is plundered by other, more numerous robbers. In such lawlessness, one who is not a slave is made into a slave, and women are abducted by force. For this reason, the gods established rulers—protectors of the people—so that society might be secured and order maintained.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that absence of legitimate rule leads to escalating insecurity—plunder, enslavement, and violence—so the institution of kingship (prajā-pālana) is justified as a dharmic necessity to protect society and restrain wrongdoing.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma explains to Yudhiṣṭhira the social consequences of anarchy and uses them to argue why rulers were instituted: to safeguard people, property, and vulnerable members of society.