Shloka 4
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
सर्वाण्येतानि कौन्तेय विद्यन्ते मनुजर्षभ | साध्वाचारप्रवृत्तानां चातुराश्रम्यकारिणाम्
sarvāṇy etāni kaunteya vidyante manujarṣabha | sādhvācāra-pravṛttānāṃ cāturāśramya-kāriṇām ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô fils de Kuntī, meilleur des hommes : ces mêmes accomplissements se trouvent chez ceux qui vivent selon la bonne conduite et accomplissent dûment les devoirs des quatre āśrama. De même, un roi qui a rejeté attachement et aversion et agit selon les principes d’un gouvernement juste (daṇḍanīti) obtient ces fruits ; et s’il considère tous les êtres d’un regard égal, il atteint l’état même auquel parviennent les renonçants (sannyāsin).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that the spiritual fruits associated with virtuous life across the four āśramas are also attainable by a king who governs without attachment and aversion, following righteous policy and maintaining equal regard for all beings—thus approaching the renunciant’s highest state.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on rājadharma, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira that kingship, when exercised with self-control, impartiality, and adherence to dharma, is not spiritually inferior to ascetic paths; it can yield the same ultimate attainments.