Shloka 18
राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order
समेत्य तास्ततश्चक्करु: समयानिति न: श्रुतम् । वाक्शूरो दण्डपरुषो यश्च स्यात् पारजायिक:
sametya tāstataścakruḥ samayān iti naḥ śrutam | vākśūro daṇḍaparuṣo yaś ca syāt pārājayikaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Nous avons entendu qu’après s’être assemblés, ils conclurent entre eux des accords. Mais celui qui n’est brave que par la parole, dur dans le châtiment et enclin à vaincre autrui, n’est pas digne d’une telle concorde. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Lasting agreements (samaya) require restraint and integrity; mere verbal bravado and punitive harshness, driven by a desire to defeat others, undermines concord and righteous governance.
Bhīṣma reports a traditional account: after gathering, a group established mutual compacts; he then cautions that a person who is only bold in speech and severe in punishment, aiming at others’ defeat, is unsuitable for maintaining such agreements.