Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
नाधर्मो विद्यते तत्र धर्म एव तु केवलम् | इति कार्तयुगानेतान् धर्मान् विद्धि युधिष्ठिर
nādharmo vidyate tatra dharma eva tu kevalam | iti kṛtayugān etān dharmān viddhi yudhiṣṭhira ||
भीष्म बोले—उस युग में अधर्म का सर्वथा अभाव होता है; वहाँ केवल धर्म ही रहता है, और कुछ नहीं। अतः युधिष्ठिर! इन सबको कृत (सत्य) युग के धर्म-नियम समझो।
भीष्म उवाच
Bhīṣma teaches that in the Kṛta/Satya Yuga, adharma is absent and dharma alone prevails; therefore the standards being described should be understood as the ideal yuga-specific model of righteous conduct.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and governance; here he frames his guidance by contrasting ages, identifying the Kṛta (Satya) Yuga as a time when only dharma exists.