Shloka 60
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
माता पिता च भ्राता च भार्या चैव पुरोहित: । नादण्ड्यो विद्यते राज्ञो यः स्वधर्मे न तिष्ठति
mātā pitā ca bhrātā ca bhāryā caiva purohitaḥ | nādaṇḍyo vidyate rājño yaḥ svadharme na tiṣṭhati ||
Bhīṣma dit : Pour un roi, nul n’est exempt de châtiment—mère, père, frère, épouse, ou même le prêtre royal—si cette personne ne demeure pas ferme dans son propre dharma. La justice du souverain doit protéger le dharma en tenant tous, y compris les plus proches et les plus vénérés, pour responsables lorsqu’ils s’écartent de la conduite droite.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s duty is impartial justice: no relationship or status—family ties or priestly authority—creates immunity if a person abandons svadharma. Upholding dharma requires equal accountability.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira principles of governance. Here he emphasizes that the ruler must punish wrongdoing even among the closest relatives and the purohita when they deviate from their duties.