Shloka 2
भीष्म उवाच अयं गुणानां षट्त्रिंशत्षट्त्रिंशद्गुणसंयुत: । यान् गुणांस्तु गुणोपेत: कुर्वन् गुणमवाप्रुयात्,भीष्मजीने कहा--राजन्! दया और उदारता आदि गुणोंसे युक्त राजा जिन गुणोंको आचरणमें लाकर उत्कर्ष लाभ कर सकता है, वे छत्तीस प्रकारके गुण हैं। राजाको चाहिये कि वह इन छत्तीस गुणोंसे सम्पन्न होनेकी चेष्टा करे
bhīṣma uvāca | ayaṁ guṇānāṁ ṣaṭtriṁśat-ṣaṭtriṁśad-guṇa-saṁyutaḥ | yān guṇāṁs tu guṇopetaḥ kurvan guṇam avāpnuyāt |
Bhishma said: O King, these are the thirty-six virtues—thirty-six qualities with which one should be endowed. A ruler who is himself furnished with virtue, and who puts these virtues into practice, attains excellence and true merit through them.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames ideal kingship as the disciplined practice of a defined set of virtues (thirty-six). Merit and excellence in rule are not accidental but arise from consciously embodying and enacting these qualities.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhishma addresses the king and introduces a structured list of royal virtues, stating that a ruler should strive to be endowed with and to practice these thirty-six qualities.