Shloka 36
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
यदि युद्धका ही निश्चय हो तो पशुशालाओंको वनमेंसे उठाकर सड़कोंपर ले आवे, छोटे-छोटे गाँवोंको उठा दे और उन सबको शाखानगरों (कस्बों) में मिला दे ।।
yadi yuddhakā hi niścayo bhavet, paśuśālāḥ vanāt samuddhṛtya rathyeṣu ānayet; kṣudrāṇi grāmāṇi samuddharet, tāni sarvāṇi śākhānagareṣu (nigameṣu) saṃyojayet. ye guptāś caiva durgāś ca deśāḥ, teṣu praveśayet; dhaninaḥ balamukhyāṃś ca sāntvayitvā punaḥ punaḥ, rājye ye pradhānāḥ senānāyakāḥ pramukhā vā senāḥ, tān sarvān atyanta-gupta-durgameṣu sthāpayet.
Bhishma said: “If war has indeed been resolved upon, then the ruler should remove cattle-sheds from the forests and bring them onto the roads, and relocate the small villages, merging them into outlying towns. He should move people and resources into regions that are both concealed and hard to penetrate. Those who are wealthy and those who stand at the head of the army—indeed, the principal forces themselves—should be reassured again and again, and then stationed in places that are extremely secret and naturally defensible.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When war becomes unavoidable, a ruler’s dharma shifts to protective governance: consolidate vulnerable settlements, secure resources, place key personnel and forces in concealed and defensible locations, and sustain public and military morale through repeated reassurance.
Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on rājadharma in the Shanti Parva, outlining practical steps a king should take once the decision for war is made—relocating villages and assets, and deploying leaders and troops to secure, hard-to-attack areas.