Shloka 2
राज्ञो वृत्त-गुण-संग्रहः (Conduct and the Thirty-Six Virtues of a King) / The King’s Code of Conduct
भीष्म उवाच अयं गुणानां षट्त्रिंशत्षट्त्रिंशद्गुणसंयुत: । यान् गुणांस्तु गुणोपेत: कुर्वन् गुणमवाप्रुयात्
bhīṣma uvāca | ayaṁ guṇānāṁ ṣaṭtriṁśat-ṣaṭtriṁśad-guṇa-saṁyutaḥ | yān guṇāṁs tu guṇopetaḥ kurvan guṇam avāpnuyāt |
Bhishma bersabda: “Wahai Raja, inilah tiga puluh enam kebajikan. Seorang penguasa yang sendiri berhias kebajikan dan menegakkan kebajikan-kebajikan ini dalam laku, akan meraih keunggulan serta kemuliaan sejati melalui semuanya itu. Karena itu, hendaklah raja berupaya menjadi sempurna dengan tiga puluh enam kebajikan ini.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames ideal kingship as the disciplined practice of a defined set of virtues (thirty-six). Merit and excellence in rule are not accidental but arise from consciously embodying and enacting these qualities.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and dharma, Bhishma addresses the king and introduces a structured list of royal virtues, stating that a ruler should strive to be endowed with and to practice these thirty-six qualities.