Shloka 25
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
तस्य विस्तीर्यते राज्यं ज्योत्स्ना ग्रहपतेरिव । प्रभो! जो अपनी शक्तिके अनुसार कर्तव्यका ठीक-ठीक पालन करते और संतुष्ट रहते हैं
tasya vistīryate rājyaṃ jyotsnā grahapater iva |
Dijo Bhīṣma: El reino de ese rey se ensancha y se extiende—como la luz lunar del señor de los astros (la Luna). En sentido ético, el verso alaba al soberano que se alía con hombres verdaderamente excelentes: cuando un rey se une a compañeros firmes, disciplinados, dignos de confianza y acordes con el dharma, su soberanía crece por sí misma, como el resplandor de la luna que colma la noche.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s power and stability grow when he aligns himself with virtuous, disciplined, trustworthy people; ethical alliances and good counsel cause the realm to expand naturally, like moonlight spreading from the Moon.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on statecraft and conduct, using a poetic simile: the king who makes concord with excellent men sees his kingdom broaden like the Moon’s radiance.