Shloka 29
अध्याय ७२ — राजधर्मः: प्रजारक्षण, कर-नीति, दण्ड-नीति, अमात्य-नियोजन
Chapter 72 — Royal Duty: protection of subjects, taxation, punishment, and appointments
यदल्ला कुरुते धर्म प्रजा धर्मेण पालयन् । दशवर्षसहस्राणि तस्य भुंक्ते फलं दिवि
yad ahar kurute dharmaṁ prajā dharmeṇa pālayan | daśavarṣasahasrāṇi tasya bhuṅkte phalaṁ divi ||
Bhishma said: Whatever measure of righteousness a king earns in a single day by protecting his subjects in accordance with dharma, he enjoys the fruit of that merit in heaven for ten thousand years. The ethical point is that just governance—rooted in dharma and expressed as the faithful protection of the people—multiplies merit far beyond the immediate act.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s highest daily duty is dharmic protection of the people; the merit gained from such just governance is extraordinarily amplified, yielding long enjoyment of its फल (reward) in heaven.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on राजधर्म (the duties of kings), Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira about the spiritual and ethical consequences of rulership, emphasizing that protecting subjects according to dharma brings immense पुण्य (merit).