Shloka 4
राज्ञो वृत्त-गुण-संग्रहः (Conduct and the Thirty-Six Virtues of a King) / The King’s Code of Conduct
प्रियं ब्रयादकृपण: शूर: स्यादविकत्थन: । दाता नापात्रवर्षी स्यात् प्रगल्भ: स्यादनिष्ठर:
priyaṃ brūyād akṛpaṇaḥ śūraḥ syād avikatthanaḥ | dātā nāpātravārṣī syāt pragalbhaḥ syād aniṣṭhuraḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : « L’homme noble doit dire des paroles agréables et se garder de l’étroitesse avare. Qu’il soit courageux sans être fanfaron. Qu’il soit généreux, mais non de ceux qui répandent des dons sur les indignes. Qu’il soit assuré et capable dans l’action, sans jamais devenir dur ni cruel. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma lists balanced virtues: kind speech without stinginess, courage without boasting, generosity guided by discernment (not wasted on the unworthy), and confident strength without harshness.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war, offering practical standards of character and conduct expected of a righteous person and ruler.