Shloka 68

Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)

Devanagari script

प्रत्यक्षाश्न परोक्षाशक्ष सर्वाधिकरणेष्वथ । वृत्तेर्भरतशार्दूल नित्यं चैवान्ववेक्षणम्‌

Transliteration

pratyakṣāś ca parokṣāś ca sarvādhikaraṇeṣv atha | vṛtter bharataśārdūla nityaṃ caivānvavekṣaṇam ||

Translation

ભીષ્મ બોલ્યા—હે ભરતશાર્દૂલ યુધિષ્ઠિર! સર્વ ન્યાયાલયોમાં પ્રત્યક્ષ અને પરોક્ષ પુરાવા પરથી થતી વિચારણા તથા ત્યાં રાજકીય પુરુષોના વર્તન અને વ્યવહાર—આ બધાનું નિત્ય પ્રતિદિન નિરીક્ષણ કરવું જોઈએ. આ બાબત શાસ્ત્રમાં પણ નિર્દિષ્ટ છે.

Word by Word

• {'pratyakṣa': 'directly perceived

• based on immediate evidence', 'parokṣa': 'indirect

• inferred or not directly seen', 'sarva-adhikaraṇa': 'all cases/tribunals

• all matters under jurisdiction', 'atha': 'and then

• moreover', 'vṛtti': 'conduct, behavior, practical dealings (especially of officials)', 'bharataśārdūla': '‘tiger among the Bharatas’

• honorific address', 'nityam': 'always

• continually', 'eva': 'indeed

• emphatically', 'anvavekṣaṇam': 'close inspection, supervision, oversight'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Yudhishthira
• Bharata lineage (Bharatas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king must ensure justice by personally and regularly supervising all legal proceedings—those based on direct proof and those based on indirect inference—and by monitoring the integrity and behavior of state officials, so that administration remains fair and free from abuse.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship (rājadharma), Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on practical governance, emphasizing daily oversight of courts and officials as a duty grounded in śāstric authority.