Shloka 26
Bhṛtya-niyoga: Role-appropriate appointment of servants and protection of the royal treasury (भृत्यनियोगः कोशरक्षणं च)
अभया गजपृष्ठस्था रथचर्याविशारदा: । इष्वस्त्रकुशला यस्य तस्येयं नृपतेर्मही
abhayā gajapṛṣṭhasthā rathacaryāviśāradāḥ | iṣvastrakuśalā yasya tasyeyaṁ nṛpater mahī ||
Bhishma dit : « Possède véritablement cette terre le roi dont les guerriers sont sans peur, capables de combattre du haut des éléphants, experts dans la manœuvre du char, et habiles à l’arc comme aux armes. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s sovereignty is upheld by a disciplined, fearless, and well-trained military; martial competence is presented as an ethical instrument for protecting the realm and sustaining order (rajadharma).
In Bhishma’s instruction on kingship in the Shanti Parva, he describes the kind of warriors whose presence enables a ruler to hold and govern the earth—those skilled in weapons, elephant-mounted combat, and chariot tactics.