Shloka 3
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
आचरिष्यसि चेत् कर्म महतोअ<र्थानवाप्स्यसि | राज्यं राज्यस्य मन्त्र वा महतीं वा पुन: श्रियम्
ācarīṣyasi cet karma mahato 'rthān avāpsyasi | rājyaṁ rājyasya mantraṁ vā mahatīṁ vā punaḥ śriyam ||
यदि तुम बताए हुए कर्तव्य का आचरण करोगे, तो महान लाभ प्राप्त करोगे—या तो राज्य ही, या राज्य का मार्गदर्शन करने वाली मंत्र-शक्ति, अथवा फिर अपार समृद्धि।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma links ethical action (karma performed as duty) with legitimate worldly outcomes: authority, wise counsel in governance, and prosperity. The verse frames success as a consequence of disciplined adherence to dharma rather than mere ambition.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on governance and conduct, Bhīṣma addresses the listener with a conditional promise: if the advised course of action is followed, it will yield major rewards—rule, influence through counsel, or great fortune—thus motivating righteous practice within the royal-ethical context.