Shloka 145
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं महत्त्वं प्रति राजसु । कार्त्स्येन भरतश्रेष्ठ किमन्यदिह वर्तते
etat te sarvam ākhyātaṁ mahattvaṁ prati rājasu | kārtsnyena bharataśreṣṭha kim anyad iha vartate ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh el mejor de los Bhāratas, ya te he expuesto por completo todo cuanto constituye la verdadera grandeza entre los reyes. ¿Qué más queda aquí para que sepas sobre este asunto?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes completeness and clarity in dharma-instruction: the standards of royal greatness (mahattva) have been fully laid out, implying that a king’s true eminence rests on understood and practiced rajadharma rather than mere power.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows—concludes a section of counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of greatness among kings, signaling that the exposition on this topic has reached its completion.