Shloka 8
राज्ञो वृत्त-गुण-संग्रहः (Conduct and the Thirty-Six Virtues of a King) / The King’s Code of Conduct
अर्नीर्षर्गुप्तदार: स्याच्चोक्ष: स्थादघृणी नृप: । स्त्रिय: सेवेत नात्यर्थ मृष्ट भुज्जीत नाहितम्
anīrṣyā-rakṣa-gupta-dāraḥ syāc chokṣaḥ sthād aghṛṇī nṛpaḥ | striyaḥ seveta nātyarthaṃ mṛṣṭaṃ bhuñjīta nāhitam ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Qu’un roi soit exempt de jalousie et qu’il protège et garde son épouse. Qu’il demeure pur dans sa conduite, sans nourrir de haine envers quiconque. Qu’il ne s’abandonne pas à l’excès dans la compagnie des femmes. Qu’il mange une nourriture propre, saine et agréable, mais jamais ce qui est nuisible. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches rājadharma grounded in inner discipline: a ruler should be free from jealousy, protect marital integrity, maintain purity without hatred, practice moderation in sensual pleasures, and choose wholesome, non-harmful food—so that personal restraint supports just rule.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on the duties and conduct of a king. This verse is part of practical ethical guidance, listing personal disciplines that sustain a ruler’s moral authority and stability of the realm.