Shloka 48
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
नक्तमेव च भक्तानि पाचयेत नराधिप: । न दिवा ज्वालयेदग्निं वर्जयित्वा5डग्निहोत्रिकम्
naktam eva ca bhaktāni pācayet narādhipaḥ | na divā jvālayed agniṃ varjayitvā agnihotrikam ||
Bhishma said: “O king, in times of war you should have the townspeople cook their meals only at night. By day, no fire should be lit for any purpose—except the sacred fires maintained by those who perform the Agnihotra.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In wartime, a ruler should enforce practical security measures—such as restricting daytime fires that could reveal positions or invite attack—while still protecting essential Vedic duties by exempting Agnihotra rites.
Within Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma (the duties of kings), he advises the king on wartime civic regulation: citizens should cook at night, and daytime fires should be prohibited except for those maintaining the Agnihotra.