Shloka 135
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
स्थापितं च ततो देवैर्न कश्चिदतिवर्तते । तिष्ठत्येकस्य च वशे त॑ं चेद॑ न विधीयते
sthāpitaṃ ca tato devair na kaścid ativartate | tiṣṭhaty ekasya ca vaśe taṃ ced na vidhīyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Lorsqu’un roi a été établi par les dieux, nul n’ose outrepasser son ordre. Le monde entier se tient sous l’autorité de ce seul souverain ; ce n’est pas le monde qui peut lui imposer sa loi.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames legitimate kingship as divinely sanctioned and socially binding: when a ruler is properly installed, his authority is to be respected as a pillar of order (dharma). The verse emphasizes the ethical necessity of obedience to rightful governance to prevent disorder.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma is explaining to Yudhishthira the basis of royal authority. He asserts that a duly established king functions as the single coordinating power for society, and that people ordinarily do not transgress his commands because his office is understood as sanctioned by the gods.