Shloka 127
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
स्थापनं चाकरोद् विष्णु: स्वयमेव सनातन: । नातिवर्तिष्यते कश्चिद् राज॑स्त्वामिति भारत
sthāpanaṃ cākarod viṣṇuḥ svayam eva sanātanaḥ | nātivartiṣyate kaścid rājās tvām iti bhārata ||
ビーシュマは語った。「永遠なるヴィシュヌ（Viṣṇu）自らが、この規範を定めたのである。『王よ、バーラタ（Bhārata）よ、誰人も汝の命令を踏み越えることはできぬ』と。」この偈は、ダルマにかなう王権とは単なる私的な力ではなく、秩序を守り、越権を防ぐために神意に根ざして引かれた境界であることを示す。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate kingship is protected by a divinely sanctioned moral boundary: when a ruler’s command is grounded in dharma, it functions as an ordinance meant to restrain transgression and preserve order, not as arbitrary force.
Bhīṣma, instructing the king (addressed as ‘Bhārata’), states that Viṣṇu himself instituted a rule ensuring that no one would be able to violate the king’s rightful command—framing royal authority as established for the maintenance of dharma.