Shloka 6
दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity
Rājadharma
यत्पुरं दुर्गसम्पन्नं धान्न्यायुधसमन्वितम् । दृढप्राकारपरिखं हस्त्यश्वरथसंकुलम्
yat puraṁ durgasampannaṁ dhānyāyudhasamanvitam | dṛḍhaprākāraparikhaṁ hasty-aśva-ratha-saṅkulam ||
Dijo Bhishma: Aquella ciudad que está bien provista de fortificaciones, abastecida con granos y armas, protegida por sólidos muros y fosos, y colmada de elefantes, caballos y carros—tal capital fortificada se describe como fundamento de un gobierno seguro y de una realeza responsable, donde la preparación resguarda al pueblo y sostiene el deber del rey de proteger.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the context of Rajadharma, Bhishma highlights that a ruler’s duty to protect depends on practical preparedness: secure fortifications, adequate provisions, and organized military resources. Ethical governance is not merely intention; it requires structures that prevent harm to subjects.
Bhishma is describing the features of an ideal, well-defended capital—forts, supplies, weapons, walls, moats, and war animals/vehicles—within his broader instruction to Yudhishthira in Shanti Parva on how a king should organize and safeguard the realm.