Shloka 32

दुर्ग-निवेश-राजधर्मः | Fortified Capital and the King’s Residential Polity

Rājadharma

Devanagari script

ते कस्याज्चिदवस्थायां शरणं शरणार्थिने । राज्ञे दद्युर्यथाकामं तापसा: संशितव्रता:,वे उत्तम व्रतका पालन करनेवाले तपस्वी शरणार्थी राजाको किसी भी अवस्थामें इच्छानुसार शरण दे सकते हैं

Transliteration

te kasyācid avasthāyāṃ śaraṇaṃ śaraṇārthine | rājñe dadyur yathākāmaṃ tāpasāḥ saṃśitavratāḥ ||

Translation

Para pertapa yang teguh dalam laku dan disiplin tapa itu dapat, dalam keadaan apa pun, menurut pertimbangan mereka sendiri, memberikan perlindungan kepada raja yang memohon suaka.

Word by Word

तेthey

कस्यचित्of some (any)

अवस्थायाम्in (any) condition/state

शरणम्refuge, protection

शरणार्थिनेto one seeking refuge

राज्ञेto the king

दद्युःwould give / may grant

यथाas, according to

कामम्desire, wish

तापसाःascetics

संशितव्रताःof well-sharpened/strict vows

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

king (rājā)

ascetics (tāpasāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That granting refuge (śaraṇa) to a seeker is a powerful dharmic obligation; disciplined ascetics, guided by strict vows and moral clarity, may extend protection even to a king, regardless of circumstances, when refuge is sincerely sought.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is instructing on dharma in the Shanti Parva, stating a principle about asylum/protection: ascetics of firm vows can choose to shelter a king who comes seeking refuge, emphasizing the moral authority of tapas and the sanctity of supplication.