Shloka 136
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
शुभं हि कर्म राजेन्द्र शुभत्वायोपकल्पते । तुल्यस्यैकस्य यस्यायं लोको वचसि तिछते
śubhaṃ hi karma rājendra śubhatvāyopakalpate | tulyasyaikasya yasyāyaṃ loko vacasi tiṣṭhate ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh, el mejor de los reyes, la acción virtuosa conduce a la virtud y da un fruto auspicioso. Y es asombroso: aunque sea un solo hombre como los demás, el mundo entero permanece obediente a la palabra de ese único rey».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Good actions naturally lead to good outcomes, and righteous kingship has a unique social power: even one person, when invested with legitimate authority and dharma, can hold the many in orderly obedience.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and moral conduct, emphasizing both the fruit of auspicious action and the remarkable capacity of a king’s command to organize society.