Shloka 14
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
उत्थानेन सदा पुत्र प्रयतेथा युधिष्ठिर न हात्थानमृते दैवं राज्ञामर्थ प्रसादयेत्
utthānena sadā putra prayetethā yudhiṣṭhira | na hy utthānam ṛte daivaṁ rājñām arthaṁ prasādayet ||
Dijo Bhishma: “Hijo mío, Yudhisthira, esfuérzate siempre con vigor. Sin empeño personal, el destino por sí solo no puede llevar a cumplimiento los fines de un rey.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that purposeful effort (utthāna/puruṣārtha) is indispensable: destiny alone does not secure a ruler’s goals. Ethical governance requires initiative, discipline, and sustained striving rather than passive reliance on fate.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and statecraft, Bhīṣma counsels Yudhiṣṭhira after the war, emphasizing practical nīti: a king must actively work for rightful ends; fate supports but does not replace human endeavor.