Shloka 100
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
प्रवर्तनाद् द्वापरस्य यथाभागमुपाश्षुते । कले: प्रवर्तनादू राजा पापमत्यन्तमश्लुते
pravartanād dvāparasya yathābhāgam upāśnute | kaleḥ pravartanād rājā pāpam atyantam aśnute ||
Bhīṣma said: “By setting the Dvāpara age in motion, a king enjoys heavenly happiness for some time in proportion to his merit. But by bringing the Kali age into being, the king becomes a sharer in exceedingly great sin.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler bears moral responsibility for the conditions he sets in motion: initiating a relatively righteous order yields merit and heavenly enjoyment proportionate to one’s virtue, whereas initiating an age of decline (Kali) makes the ruler liable to grave sin.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma explains to the king that the consequences of a ruler’s actions can be epochal: promoting a better social-moral order brings merit, while unleashing degeneration brings heavy demerit.