Shloka 19

Devanagari script

भोक्ता तस्य तु पापस्थ सुकृतस्य यथा तथा । नियन्तव्या: सदा राज्ञा पापा ये स्युर्नराधिप,नरेश्वर! राजा जैसे प्रजाके पापका चतुर्थाश भोगता है उसी प्रकार पुण्यका भी चतुर्थाश उसे प्राप्त होता है; अत: राजाको चाहिये कि वह सदा पापियोंको दण्ड देकर उन्हें दबाये रखे

Transliteration

bhoktā tasya tu pāpastha sukṛtasya yathā tathā | niyantavyāḥ sadā rājñā pāpā ye syur narādhipa || nareśvara |

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「王よ、統治者が国中で行われる罪の一部を分かち受けるように、同じくそこで積まれる功徳の一部もまた得る。ゆえに、人の主よ、王は悪に傾く者を常に抑え、罰し、統御のもとに置かねばならぬ。国の道義の重みは、必ずや王座に及ぶからである。」

Word by Word

भोक्ताenjoyer/partaker

तस्यof him/of that (king)

तुbut/indeed

पापस्थO sinful one / O one standing in sin

सुकृतस्यof merit/virtue

यथाas/just as

तथाso/in the same way

नियन्तव्याःto be restrained/controlled

सदाalways

राज्ञाby the king

पापाःsinful (people)

येwho/which

स्युःmight be/should be

नराधिपO lord of men (king)

नरेश्वरO ruler of men

Speaker

भीष्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

King (narādhipa/nareśvara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king is morally implicated in the conduct of his realm: he shares in a portion of both sin and merit generated under his rule. Therefore, he must actively restrain and punish wrongdoing to protect dharma and to avoid accruing the kingdom’s moral fault.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rajadharma, Bhishma is advising the king on governance after the war. Here he emphasizes the ruler’s responsibility to maintain order and righteousness, warning that the king partakes in the karmic consequences of his subjects’ actions.