Shloka 28
अध्याय ७२ — राजधर्मः: प्रजारक्षण, कर-नीति, दण्ड-नीति, अमात्य-नियोजन
Chapter 72 — Royal Duty: protection of subjects, taxation, punishment, and appointments
यदल्ला कुरुते पापमरक्षन् भयत: प्रजा: । राजा वर्षसहस्रेण तस्थान्तमधिगच्छति,राजा प्रजाकी भयसे रक्षा न करनेके कारण एक दिनमें जिस पापका भागी होता है, उसका परिणाम उसे एक हजार वर्षोंतक भोगना पड़ता है
yadallā kurute pāpam arakṣan bhayataḥ prajāḥ | rājā varṣasahasreṇa tasthāntam adhigacchati ||
Bhishma said: Whatever sin a king incurs in a single day by failing to protect his subjects out of fear, he must endure its consequence for a thousand years. The ethical point is stark: royal authority is inseparable from the duty of fearless protection; neglect of that duty magnifies guilt and its retribution.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s primary dharma is protection of the people; if he neglects it out of fear, the moral fault is grave and its karmic consequence is vastly magnified—symbolized as one day’s neglect yielding a thousand years of suffering.
In the Shanti Parva discourse on rajadharma, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira about the responsibilities of kingship, warning that failure to protect subjects—especially from cowardice—brings severe, long-lasting retribution.