Shloka 5
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
तैक्ष्ण्यं जिद्वात्वमादाल्भ्यं सत्यमार्जवमेव च | मध्यस्थ: सत्त्वमातिष्ठंस्तथा वै सुखमृच्छति,राजा मध्यस्थ-भावसे रहकर तीक्ष्णता, कुटिल नीति, अभय-दान, सत्य, सरलता तथा श्रेष्ठभावका अवलम्बन करे। ऐसा करनेसे ही वह सुखका भागी होता है
taikṣṇyaṁ jidvātvaṁ ādālbhyam satyam ārjavam eva ca | madhyasthaḥ sattvam ātiṣṭhaṁs tathā vai sukham ṛcchati ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Seorang raja yang tetap tidak memihak hendaknya menegakkan ketegasan yang tajam, siasat kenegaraan yang halus, pemberian rasa aman (perlindungan), kebenaran, dan kelurusan budi. Berteguh dalam keseimbangan kebajikan demikian, ia meraih kesejahteraan dan kebahagiaan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that a ruler’s happiness and success arise from balanced kingship: impartiality combined with firmness, protective assurance to subjects, truthfulness, and straightforward integrity—so that power is exercised without bias and with moral steadiness.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising the king (in context, Yudhiṣṭhira) on the qualities and policies a ruler should adopt, emphasizing impartial governance and ethical statecraft as the basis of public welfare and royal well-being.