Shloka 30
Droṇa–Vidura–Gāndhārī Counsel in the Royal Assembly (धर्मार्थयुक्ता सभा-उपदेश-प्रकरणम्)
ततः: पौरा महाराज माता काली च मे शुभा | भृत्या: पुरोहिताचार्या ब्राह्मणाश्व बहुश्रुता: । मामूचुर्भशसंतप्ता भव राजेति संततम्
tataḥ paurā mahārāja mātā kālī ca me śubhā | bhṛtyāḥ purohitācāryā brāhmaṇāś ca bahuśrutāḥ || mām ūcur bhṛśa-santaptā bhava rājeti santatam ||
भीष्म बोले—महाराज! तब नगरवासी, मेरी कल्याणमयी माता काली (सत्यवती), सेवक, पुरोहित, आचार्य और बहुश्रुत ब्राह्मण अत्यन्त संतप्त होकर मुझसे बार-बार कहने लगे—“आप राजा बनिए।”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pressure of rajadharma: when a kingdom’s stability is threatened, society—elders, clergy, teachers, and citizens—may urge a capable protector to accept rulership for the common good, even if he personally prefers restraint or renunciation.
Bhīṣma recounts that after a critical turn in the Kuru succession, the citizens and leading authorities—along with his mother Satyavatī (called Kālī)—approached him in distress and repeatedly implored him to take the throne.