Shloka 4
राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order
इन्द्रमेव प्रवृणुते यद्राजानमिति श्रुति: । यथैवेन्द्रस्तथा राजा सम्पूज्यो भूतिमिच्छता,श्रुति कहती है, 'प्रजा जो राजाका वरण करती है, वह मानो इन्द्रका ही वरण करती है,, अतः लोकका कल्याण चाहनेवाले पुरुषको इन्द्रके समान ही राजाका पूजन करना चाहिये
indram eva pravṛṇute yad rājānam iti śrutiḥ | yathaivendraḥ tathā rājā sampūjyo bhūtim icchatā ||
Bhīṣma said: “The sacred tradition declares: ‘When the people choose a king, they in effect choose Indra himself.’ Therefore, one who seeks the welfare and prosperity of the world should honor the king with the same reverence due to Indra—seeing in rightful kingship a divinely sanctioned support of order and public good.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate kingship is to be regarded as divinely representative: choosing a king is likened to choosing Indra, so those who seek prosperity and the common good should honor the king as a pillar of dharma and social order.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the sanctity and social necessity of kingship, citing śruti to justify reverence toward the king for the sake of public welfare.