Shloka 36
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
मन्त्रश्न वर्णित: कृत्स्नस्तथा भेदार्थ एव च | विशभ्रमश्चैव मन्त्रस्य सिद्ध्यसिद्धौश्व यत् फलम्
mantraś ca varṇitaḥ kṛtsnas tathā bhedārtha eva ca | vibhramaś caiva mantrasya siddhy-asiddhau ca yat phalam |
Bhīṣma dijo: «En este tratado se explica por entero la disciplina del consejo (mantra), junto con el propósito y el modo de la política de división (bheda-nīti), las confusiones y riesgos que surgen en el consejo (incluido el temor a su divulgación) y también los resultados que siguen cuando el consejo triunfa o fracasa.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Effective governance depends on sound, confidential deliberation. The text highlights (1) the full scope of counsel, (2) the strategic use of bheda (division) when appropriate, (3) the dangers of confusion and leakage in deliberations, and (4) the concrete consequences of successful versus failed counsel—implying an ethical duty to be clear, prudent, and discreet for the welfare of the realm.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma. Here he summarizes what this śāstra section covers: counsel and its management, the policy of bheda, the internal risks of deliberation (confusion and fear of disclosure), and the outcomes that follow depending on whether counsel is successfully executed or not.