तां च धर्मेण सम्प्राप्प पालयेयमतन्द्रित: । चतुर्थ तु वरं याचे त्वामहं द्विजसत्तम
bhīṣma uvāca | tāṃ ca dharmeṇa samprāpya pālayeyam atandritaḥ | caturthaṃ tu varaṃ yāce tvām ahaṃ dvijasattama ||
ビーシュマは言った。「それ(大地/主権)をダルマにかなって得たなら、私は怠ることなくこれを守り治めましょう。けれども、バラモンの最上者よ、さらに第四の恩寵をあなたに願います。」
भीष्म उवाच
Legitimate power must be acquired and exercised through dharma, and once obtained it must be protected with constant vigilance (atandrita). Ethical governance is presented as a duty, not merely a privilege.
The speaker declares that after righteously attaining sovereignty (implied ‘the earth/kingdom’), he will govern it diligently; then he turns to the revered Brahmin and asks for an additional, fourth boon beyond the earlier requests.