Shloka 18
Āśrama-dharma: Duties of the Four Life-Stages (आश्रमधर्मः)
दानमध्ययन यज्ञो राज्ञां क्षेमो विधीयते । तस्माद् राज्ञा विशेषेण योद्धव्यं धर्ममीप्सता
bhīṣma uvāca | dānam adhyayanaṁ yajño rājñāṁ kṣemo vidhīyate | tasmād rājñā viśeṣeṇa yoddhavyaṁ dharmam īpsatā |
Bhishma dit : La charité, l’étude du savoir sacré et le sacrifice sont bien prescrits comme sources de prospérité pour les rois. Pourtant, pour le souverain qui recherche le dharma, le combat—par-dessus tout—est requis de manière particulière ; ainsi, le roi voué à la droiture doit se tenir prêt à faire la guerre afin de protéger l’ordre.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that while charity, learning, and sacrifice benefit a king, the distinctive obligation of a ruler seeking dharma is readiness to fight—i.e., to use force when necessary to uphold justice and protect social order.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira about the duties of kingship, emphasizing that governance sometimes demands warfare as a principled instrument for maintaining security and righteousness.