Shloka 22
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
चराचराणां भूतानां रक्षणं चापि सर्वश: । यथा्हपूजां च तथा कुर्वन् गा्हस्थ्यमावसेत्,चराचर प्राणियोंकी सब प्रकारसे रक्षा तथा उनकी यथायोग्य पूजा करनेवाले पुरुषको गार्हस्थ्य-सेवनका फल प्राप्त होता है
carācarāṇāṁ bhūtānāṁ rakṣaṇaṁ cāpi sarvaśaḥ | yathārhapūjāṁ ca tathā kurvan gārhasthyam āvaset ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Celui qui, de toutes les manières, protège tous les êtres—mobiles et immobiles—et leur rend l’honneur et la révérence qui leur sont dus, vit véritablement la vie du maître de maison et obtient le fruit du gārhasthya : soutenir le monde par le soin, la responsabilité et un service respectueux envers la vie.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The true fruit of the householder life is gained not merely by maintaining a home, but by actively protecting all beings and honoring them appropriately—making one’s domestic life a moral support-system for the wider world.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira about righteous conduct. Here he defines gārhasthya in ethical terms: the householder sustains society through protection, care, and respectful treatment of all forms of life.