Shloka 23
राज्ञोऽभिषेकः, अराजकदोषः, दण्डधारणस्य आवश्यकता
Royal Consecration, the Fault of Kinglessness, and the Necessity of Enforcement
ज्येष्ठानुज्येष्ठपत्नीनां भ्रातृणां पुत्रनप्तृणाम् । निग्रहानुग्रहौ पार्थ गाहस्थ्यमिति तत् तप:
jyeṣṭhānujyeṣṭhapatnīnāṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ putranaptṝṇām | nigrahānugrahau pārtha gārhasthyam iti tat tapaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Partha, disiplin hidup grihastha ialah mengetahui kapan harus menahan (nigraha) dan kapan harus berkenan (anugraha)—terhadap yang tua dan yang muda, terhadap istri para sesepuh dan kerabat yang lebih muda, serta terhadap saudara, putra, dan cucu. Tata kelola keluarga yang seimbang inilah tapa itu sendiri.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Householder dharma is not merely ritual or earning a livelihood; it is the disciplined art of applying restraint (nigraha) and kindness/support (anugraha) appropriately within the family. This balanced moral governance is itself tapas (austerity).
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira’s side (addressing Arjuna here as ‘Pārtha’) on dharma after the war. This verse highlights domestic ethics: how one should regulate and nurture relationships with elders, younger relatives, brothers, children, and grandchildren.