Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं महत्त्वं प्रति राजसु । कार्त्स्येन भरतश्रेष्ठ किमन्यदिह वर्तते
etat te sarvam ākhyātaṁ mahattvaṁ prati rājasu | kārtsnyena bharataśreṣṭha kim anyad iha vartate ||
ភីष្មៈបានមានព្រះវាចា៖ ឱ អ្នកប្រសើរបំផុតក្នុងវង្សភារត! អំពីមហិមារបស់ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ ទាំងអស់នេះ ខ្ញុំបានប្រាប់អ្នកយ៉ាងពេញលេញហើយ។ ក្នុងប្រធានបទនេះ តើនៅសល់អ្វីទៀតឲ្យអ្នកដឹង?
भीष्म उवाच
Bhīṣma emphasizes completeness and clarity in dharma-instruction: the standards of royal greatness (mahattva) have been fully laid out, implying that a king’s true eminence rests on understood and practiced rajadharma rather than mere power.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma—lying on the bed of arrows—concludes a section of counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira about the nature of greatness among kings, signaling that the exposition on this topic has reached its completion.