Shloka 20
Ākiṃcanya–Tyāga Upadeśa
The Instruction on Non-ownership and Renunciation
राजधर्मेति विख्यातो बभूवाप्रतिमो भुवि । देवकन्यासुत: श्रीमान् विद्वान् देवसमप्रभ:
bhīṣma uvāca | rājadharmeti vikhyāto babhūvāpratimo bhuvi | devakanyāsutaḥ śrīmān vidvān devasamaprabhaḥ ||
ಅವನು ಭುವಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ‘ರಾಜಧರ್ಮ’ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಿನಿಂದಲೇ ಖ್ಯಾತನಾದನು—ಅಪ್ರತಿಮನು. ದೇವಕನ್ಯೆಯಿಂದ ಜನಿಸಿದ ಕಾರಣ ಶ್ರೀಮಂತನಾಗಿದ್ದನು; ದೇವಸಮಾನವಾದ ಕಾಂತಿಯುಳ್ಳವನು. ಅವನು ವಿದ್ಯಾವಂತನು, ದಿವ್ಯ ತೇಜಸ್ಸಿನಿಂದ ಪ್ರಕಾಶಿಸುವವನಂತೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates rājadharma—righteous royal conduct—as an ideal so eminent that it is personified and praised as incomparable. It implies that true kingship is measured by ethical governance, learning, and a luminous (almost divine) character.
Bhishma introduces or describes a remarkable figure known as “Rājadharma,” emphasizing his unmatched reputation on earth, his celestial birth, his learning, and his godlike radiance—setting a tone of reverence for the standards of ideal rule.