Shloka 86
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
नाधर्मो विद्यते तत्र धर्म एव तु केवलम् | इति कार्तयुगानेतान् धर्मान् विद्धि युधिष्ठिर
nādharmo vidyate tatra dharma eva tu kevalam | iti kṛtayugān etān dharmān viddhi yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma said: “In that age, unrighteousness is not found at all; only righteousness exists, and nothing else. Therefore, O Yudhiṣṭhira, understand these as the duties and norms belonging to the Kṛta (Satya) Yuga.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that in the Kṛta/Satya Yuga, adharma is absent and dharma alone prevails; therefore the standards being described should be understood as the ideal yuga-specific model of righteous conduct.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance; here he frames his guidance by contrasting ages, identifying the Kṛta (Satya) Yuga as a time when only dharma exists.