Shloka 31
राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च
Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline
दानेनान्यं बलेनान्यमन्यं सूनूृतया गिरा । सर्वतः प्रतिगृह्नीयादू राज्यं प्राप्पेह धार्मिक:
dānenānyaṃ balenānyam anyaṃ sūnṛtayā girā | sarvataḥ pratigṛhṇīyād rājyaṃ prāpyeha dhārmikaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “Having attained the kingdom, a righteous king should win people over from every side—some through gifts, some through strength, and others through gentle, truthful speech.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dharmic ruler governs by appropriate means: generosity to secure goodwill, strength to restrain wrongdoing and protect order, and gentle truthful speech to persuade—thus integrating compassion, authority, and ethical communication.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the king on practical governance after attaining sovereignty: consolidate rule by winning different people through gifts, force when necessary, and courteous truthful words.