Shloka 8

राजधर्मः—प्रजापालनं दानयज्ञश्च

Royal Duty—Protection of Subjects, Generosity, and Sacrificial Discipline

Devanagari script

यद्‌ राष्ट्रेडकुशलं किज्चिद्‌ राज्ञो5रक्षयत: प्रजा: । चतुर्थ तस्य पापस्य राजा भारत विन्दति

Transliteration

yad rāṣṭre 'kuśalaṁ kiñcid rājño 'rakṣayataḥ prajāḥ | caturthaṁ tasya pāpasya rājā bhārata vindati, bharatanandana ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: If, within a kingdom, the people commit any harmful or unrighteous act while the king fails to protect and govern them properly, then the king—O Bhārata, joy of the Bharatas—incurs one fourth of that sin.

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever (that which)
• यत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• राष्ट्रे: in the kingdom
• राष्ट्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अकुशलम्: inauspicious, harmful
• अकुशलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अकुशल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• किञ्चित्: anything, some
• किञ्चित्: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किञ्चित्

• राज्ञः: of the king
• राज्ञः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अरक्षयतः: of (him) not protecting
• अरक्षयतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• प्रजाः: the subjects
• प्रजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• चतुर्थम्: a fourth part
• चतुर्थम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective (ordinal/quantifier)
• Root: चतुर्थ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• पापस्य: of the sin
• पापस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भारत: O Bharata
• भारत: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun (proper/vocative epithet)
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• विन्दति: obtains, incurs
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (विन्द्)
• Form: Present, Indicative, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• भरतनन्दन: O delight of Bharata
• भरतनन्दन: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun (proper/vocative epithet)
• Root: भरतनन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira (addressed as Bhārata, Bharatanandana)
• King (rājā)
• Subjects (prajāḥ)
• Kingdom (rāṣṭra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler’s dharma is protective governance; if the king neglects protection and oversight, he becomes morally accountable and incurs a share (one fourth) of the wrongdoing committed by his subjects within the realm.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kings). Here he emphasizes that failure to safeguard and regulate society is not neutral negligence but a culpable lapse that transfers part of the subjects’ sin to the king.