Shloka 37
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
न यस्य कूटं कपटं न माया न च मत्सर: | विषये भूमिपालस्य तस्य धर्म: सनातन:,जिस भूपालके राज्यमें कूटनीति, कपट, माया तथा ईर्ष्याका सर्वथा अभाव हो उसीके द्वारा सनातन धर्मका पालन होता है
na yasya kūṭaṃ kapaṭaṃ na māyā na ca matsaraḥ | viṣaye bhūmipālasya tasya dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : Dans le royaume de ce roi où il n’y a absolument ni politique tortueuse, ni tromperie, ni illusion, ni envie, c’est là seulement que l’ordre éternel du dharma est véritablement maintenu. Un tel royaume devient un sol moral où la justice peut se tenir debout sans être minée par des desseins cachés.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that a ruler sustains eternal dharma not merely through laws or rituals, but by eliminating systemic moral vices—crooked policy, deceit, manipulative illusion, and envy—from the life of the kingdom. Where these are absent, justice and social trust naturally flourish.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kings) after the war. This verse is part of his ethical guidance, describing the moral conditions within a king’s realm that allow dharma to be genuinely established.