Shloka 163
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
यहाँ राजा और राज्यके लिये जो परम धर्म और परम पवित्र वस्तु है, उसे सुनिये। जिसकी पृथ्वी दक्षिणा-रूपमें दे दी जाती है अर्थात् जो अपनी राज्यभूमिका दान कर देता है, वह अश्वमेध यज्ञके पुण्यफलका भागी होता है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | iha rājā ca rājyārthe yaḥ paramo dharmaḥ paramā ca pavitrā vastur asti, tāṃ śṛṇu | yasya pṛthivī dakṣiṇā-rūpeṇa dattā bhavati, arthāt yaḥ svāṃ rājyabhūmiṃ dadāti, sa aśvamedha-yajñasya puṇya-phalasya bhāgī bhavati || saham etāni karmāṇi rāja-duḥkhāni maithila | samarthā śataśo vaktum athavāpi sahasraśaḥ | mithilā-nareśa! ye rājānaṃ duḥkhaṃ dadati, tādṛśāni karmāṇi aham iha vaktuṃ śaknomi ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Dengarkanlah dharma tertinggi dan prinsip yang paling menyucikan bagi seorang raja dan demi kerajaan. Siapa yang memberikan bumi itu sendiri sebagai dakṣiṇā—yakni mendermakan tanah kerajaannya—menjadi peserta dalam pahala Aśvamedha. Wahai Maithila, aku sanggup menguraikan di sini ratusan, bahkan ribuan perbuatan yang mendatangkan derita bagi seorang raja; wahai raja Mithilā, banyak tindakan semacam itu dapat kujelaskan, yang membuat penguasa tersiksa.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma elevates land-gift (donating one’s own royal territory as dakshina) as an exceptionally purifying royal act, equating its merit with participation in the fruit of the Ashvamedha; he also signals that many specific administrative or moral missteps can cause a king great suffering, preparing the listener for a broader discourse on raja-dharma.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhishma addresses a Maithila ruler (king of Mithila) and begins outlining supreme royal duties: first praising the extraordinary merit of donating land, then stating his capacity to enumerate numerous deeds that bring hardship to kings, introducing a detailed advisory section on the burdens and pitfalls of rulership.