Shloka 13
Kuru Prosperity under Bhīṣma and the Succession of Pāṇḍu (कुरुराष्ट्रसमृद्धिः पाण्डुराज्यप्राप्तिश्च)
विचित्रवीर्य: स तदा भीष्मस्य वचने स्थित: । अन्वशासन्महाराज पितृपैतामहं पदम्,महाराज जनमेजय! तब विचित्रवीर्य भीष्मजीकी आज्ञाके अधीन रहकर अपने बाप- दादोंके राज्यका शासन करने लगे
gandharva uvāca |
vicitravīryaḥ sa tadā bhīṣmasya vacane sthitaḥ |
anvaśāsan mahārāja pitṛpaitāmahaṃ padam |
mahārāja janamejaya |
¡Oh gran rey Janamejaya! Entonces Vicitravīrya, ateniéndose a la palabra y autoridad de Bhīṣma, comenzó a gobernar el cargo real heredado de su padre y de sus antepasados. Así reinó el reino ancestral bajo la guía de Bhīṣma: una imagen de la realeza fundada en la obediencia al consejo legítimo y en la continuidad del deber dinástico.
(गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights rajadharma through disciplined obedience: a young king sustains legitimate rule by adhering to the counsel and authority of a righteous elder (Bhīṣma) and by preserving the inherited responsibilities of the dynasty rather than acting from personal impulse.
After events leading to Vicitravīrya’s accession, he is described as ruling the ancestral kingdom while remaining under Bhīṣma’s direction—showing Bhīṣma’s continuing guardianship of the Kuru throne and Vicitravīrya’s dependence on that guidance.