Shloka 13
राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च
Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline
पर्जन्यमिव भूतानि महाद्रुममिव द्विजा: | नरास्तमुपजीवन्ति नृपं सर्वार्थसाधकम्
parjanyam iva bhūtāni mahādrumam iva dvijāḥ | narās tam upajīvanti nṛpaṁ sarvārthasādhakam ||
Bhishma said: “Just as living beings subsist depending on the rain-cloud, and birds depend on a great tree, so too do people sustain their lives by relying on a king—one who is capable of accomplishing all rightful aims.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous king is to society what rain is to creatures and a great tree is to birds: a sustaining support. The ethical point is that governance should secure protection, livelihood, and the fulfillment of legitimate needs, so that people can live and pursue dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira about the king’s role. He uses natural analogies—rain-cloud and tree—to explain why subjects rely on the king and what kind of king truly deserves that reliance.