Shloka 128
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
तपसा भगवान् विष्णुराविवेश च भूमिपम् । देववन्नरदेवानां नमते यं जगन्नूपम्
tapasā bhagavān viṣṇur āviveśa ca bhūmipam | devavan naradevāṇāṁ namate yaṁ jagannṛpam | rājā pṛthukī tapasyāse prasanno ho bhagavān viṣṇunā svayam
Bhishma dit : Par la puissance de l’austérité, le Seigneur bienheureux Vishnu entra en ce roi. Parmi les souverains des hommes, pareils aux dieux, il était un roi devant qui le monde entier inclinait la tête comme devant une divinité. Ainsi le roi Prithuki, constant dans la pénitence, obtint la faveur directe du Seigneur Vishnu lui-même.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s true authority is grounded in dharma and self-discipline: sustained tapas can purify and empower a king so that divine grace supports his rule, making him worthy of universal respect.
Bhishma describes a king (Prithuki) whose austerities pleased Vishnu; as a sign of favor, Vishnu is said to ‘enter’ the king, and the world reveres him like a deity among rulers.