Shloka 41
राजधर्मप्रश्नः — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry into Rājadharma (Śānti-parva 56)
प्रत्यक्षेणानुमानेन तथौपम्यागमैरपि । परीक्ष्यास्ते महाराज स्वे परे चैव नित्यश:,महाराज! प्रत्यक्ष, अनुमान, उपमान और अताम--इन चारों प्रमाणोंके द्वारा सदा अपने-परायेकी पहचान करते रहना चाहिये
pratyakṣeṇānumānena tathaupamyāgamair api | parīkṣyāste mahārāja sve pare caiva nityaśaḥ ||
Wahai raja agung, hendaklah engkau senantiasa meneliti dan membedakan mana pihakmu dan mana pihak orang lain—dengan pramāṇa: penglihatan langsung, penalaran, perbandingan, dan kesaksian ajaran yang otoritatif. Dengan itu, pertimbanganmu teguh dan laku pemerintahanmu selaras dengan dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should continually practice discernment—testing claims and loyalties through reliable means of knowledge: perception, inference, analogy, and authoritative testimony—so that decisions remain grounded in dharma rather than impulse or bias.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous governance and conduct. Here he emphasizes epistemic discipline: the king must verify matters and distinguish ‘one’s own’ from ‘others’ using recognized pramāṇas.