Shloka 41
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
विहितं दृश्यते राजन् सागरान्तां च मेदिनीम् | क्षत्रियो हि स्वधर्मेण श्रियं प्राप्रोति भूयसीम् । राजा दण्डधरो राजन रक्षा नान्यत्र क्षत्रियात्
vihitaṃ dṛśyate rājan sāgarāntāṃ ca medinīm | kṣatriyo hi svadharmeṇa śriyaṃ prāpnoti bhūyasīm | rājā daṇḍadharo rājan rakṣā nānyatra kṣatriyāt | rājā yudhiṣṭhira |
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, les śāstra établissent que la souveraineté sur la terre jusqu’à l’océan qui l’encerle est ordonnée pour le kṣatriya. En vérité, en s’attachant à son propre dharma, le kṣatriya obtient une grande prospérité et un éclat immense. Ô roi, le souverain porte le bâton du châtiment (daṇḍa) ; la protection ne peut être assurée d’aucun autre côté que par le kṣatriya, ô roi Yudhiṣṭhira.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that political authority, prosperity, and especially the duty of protection are śāstrically assigned to the Kṣatriya; the king must wield daṇḍa (lawful punishment) to secure order and safety.
In his instruction to King Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma, Bhīṣma emphasizes the Kṣatriya’s role as ruler and protector, asserting that security and governance depend on the king’s disciplined use of authority.