Shloka 15
Prajñā as Pratiṣṭhā — Indra–Kāśyapa Saṃvāda (Śānti-parva 12.173)
राज्ञश्न दर्शयामासु: शरीरं राजधर्मण: । कृतघ्नं परुषं तं च गौतम॑ं पापकारिणम्
rājñaś ca darśayāmāsuḥ śarīraṃ rājadharmaṇaḥ | kṛtaghnaṃ paruṣaṃ taṃ ca gautamaṃ pāpakāriṇam ||
ビーシュマは言った。「そのとき彼らは王に、王の法（ラージャダルマ）のまさに『身体』たる者—ゴータマ—を示した。彼は恩を忘れ、言葉も振る舞いも荒く、罪業に手を染めていた。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Royal duty (rājadharma) is not merely an abstract ideal; it is tested and made visible through concrete cases of wrongdoing. A king must recognize and judge traits like ingratitude (kṛtaghnatā), harshness (paruṣatā), and sinful conduct (pāpakarma) as ethical failures that threaten social order.
In Bhīṣma’s discourse, certain people present to the king an illustrative figure—Gautama—described as ungrateful, harsh, and sinful, as though he were the ‘embodiment’ of a lesson in rājadharma. The verse frames Gautama as a cautionary example for the king’s moral and judicial discernment.