Shloka 21
राजधर्मस्य नवनीतम्—रक्षा, दण्ड, चार, उत्थान
Rājadharma’s ‘Essence’: Protection, Punishment, Intelligence, and Royal Diligence
राज्य एक बहुत बड़ा तन््त्र है। जिन्होंने अपने मनको वशमें नहीं किया है
rājyaṃ ekaṃ bahu-bṛhat tantraṃ hi | yeṣāṃ manaḥ vaśīkṛtaṃ na, te krūra-svabhāvā rājānaḥ taṃ viśāla-tantraṃ dhārayituṃ na śaknuvanti | tathā ye ati-komala-prakṛtayaḥ, te 'pi tasya bhāraṃ na vahanti | teṣāṃ kṛte rājyaṃ mahān jañjālaḥ bhavati |
Dijo Bhishma: La realeza es un sistema vasto y de intrincada trama. Un gobernante áspero, que no ha dominado su propia mente, no puede sostener un mecanismo de gobierno tan grande. Pero tampoco quienes son de temperamento excesivamente blando pueden soportar su peso. Para tales hombres, el oficio de reinar se vuelve un enredo pesado, más que un medio para sostener el dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective rule requires inner mastery and balanced temperament: a king must control his mind and avoid both cruelty and excessive softness, otherwise the complex duties of governance become unmanageable and ethically harmful.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma continues advising on the qualities needed for rulership, warning that the state is a vast system that only a disciplined and balanced ruler can sustain.