Shloka 27
तस्मादेवं परं धर्म मन्यन्ते धर्मकोविदा: । यो राजा रक्षणे युक्तो भूतेषु कुरुते दयाम्,इसलिये जो राजा प्रजापालनमें तत्पर रहकर प्राणियोंपर दया करता है, उसके इस बर्तावको धर्मज्ञ पुरुष परम धर्म मानते हैं
tasmād evaṁ paraṁ dharmaṁ manyante dharmakovidāḥ | yo rājā rakṣaṇe yukto bhūteṣu kurute dayām ||
Por ello, los sabios que conocen el dharma consideran que éste es el dharma supremo: que un rey, entregado al deber de proteger, muestre compasión hacia todos los seres vivos. En la enseñanza ética de Bhishma, el poder real se justifica no por la conquista ni por la dureza, sino por una tutela vigilante unida a la misericordia hacia los vulnerables.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The highest dharma for a ruler is protective governance joined with compassion: a king must be actively engaged in safeguarding others and must treat all beings with mercy, not merely enforce power.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and righteousness, Bhīṣma is teaching principles of rājadharma, emphasizing that the legitimacy of kingship rests on protection of subjects and compassionate conduct toward living beings.