Shloka 146
ज्येष्ठ-कनिष्ठ-धर्मः — Duties of Elders and Juniors
Anuśāsana-parva 108
यत्नवान् भव राजेन्द्र यत्नवान् सुखमेधते । अप्रधृष्यश्न शत्रूणां भृत्यानां स्वजनस्य च
yatnavān bhava rājendra yatnavān sukham edhate | apradhṛṣyaś ca śatrūṇāṁ bhṛtyānāṁ svajanasya ca, nareśvara |
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Sé diligente, oh el mejor de los reyes. El diligente prospera con facilidad. Por el esfuerzo sostenido, un gobernante se vuelve inexpugnable—ante los enemigos, e incluso entre su propio pueblo y sus servidores. Por ello, oh señor de los hombres, un kṣatriya debe esforzarse por dominar el Dhanurveda/la ciencia de las armas, el estudio de los Vedas y las destrezas regias prácticas como montar elefantes y caballos y conducir el carro; pues el esfuerzo es la raíz del ascenso seguro y de la autoridad.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that sustained effort (yatna/udyama) is the foundation of a king’s prosperity and security. A ruler who trains diligently—intellectually and militarily—becomes difficult to overpower and gains stable authority among enemies as well as within his own household and administration.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on royal duty (rājadharma). Here he urges the king to be industrious and to cultivate the practical and scriptural disciplines expected of a kṣatriya, emphasizing that diligence leads to flourishing and invulnerability.