Shloka 27
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
यस्मिन्न नश्यन्ति गुणा: कौन्तेय पुरुषे सदा । आश्रमस्थ॑ं तमप्याहुर्नरश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिर
yasmin na naśyanti guṇāḥ kaunteya puruṣe sadā | āśramasthaṁ tam apy āhur naraśreṣṭha yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô fils de Kuntī, si, chez un homme, les qualités nobles ne périssent jamais, alors—ô Yudhiṣṭhira, le meilleur des hommes—on dit qu’il est établi dans l’observance de tous les āśramas. Sa vie, quelle que soit sa condition extérieure, incarne la discipline et les devoirs que les étapes de l’existence sont destinées à former. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Enduring virtues are the true mark of dharma: a person whose good qualities do not deteriorate is regarded as fulfilling the intent of all four āśramas, because inner character outweighs mere external status or life-stage.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct after the war. Here he defines the ‘best person’ as one whose virtues remain constant, and he praises such steadiness as equivalent to properly observing every āśrama.