Shloka 3
राजा-दैवतत्वम् — The King as a Stabilizing ‘Daivata’ (Divine Function) in Social Order
अराजकेषु राष्ट्रेषु धर्मो न व्यवतिष्ठते । परस्परं च खादन्ति सर्वथा धिगराजकम्
arājakeṣu rāṣṭreṣu dharmo na vyavatiṣṭhate | parasparaṃ ca khādanti sarvathā dhig arājakam ||
Bhishma dit : «Dans les royaumes sans roi, le dharma ne demeure pas établi. Les hommes alors se dévorent les uns les autres ; aussi faut-il blâmer en tout point une terre plongée dans l’anarchie.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma and social stability depend on legitimate governance; without a ruler and enforcement of order, society collapses into mutual predation, so anarchy is ethically blameworthy.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on statecraft and rajadharma, Bhishma warns Yudhishthira that a kingless realm cannot sustain dharma and inevitably descends into violence and exploitation.