Shloka 19
Kāpavya-carita (कापव्यचरित) — Reforming Dasyus through Regulated Rāja-Dharma
सर्वतः सत्कृत: सद्धिर्भूतिप्रवरकारणै: । हृदयेना भ्यनुज्ञातो यो धर्मस्तं व्यवस्यति
sarvataḥ satkṛtaḥ sadbhir bhūtipravarakāraṇaiḥ | hṛdayenābhyanujñāto yo dharmas taṃ vyavasyati ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Que le roi se résolve fermement à pratiquer ce dharma qui est honoré de toutes les manières par les vertueux—eux qui sont les causes premières de la prospérité—et qui reçoit aussi l’assentiment de son propre cœur.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should adopt and practice the dharma that is (1) publicly honored by the virtuous—those who truly promote welfare—and (2) inwardly affirmed by the heart. Ethical governance rests on both wise social validation and sincere inner assent.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on how a king should choose a righteous course: by aligning with the standards of the good and with the approval of conscience.